Review: Food disappoints at Oh’ Lemonade

Oh’ Lemonade’s location in Railroad Square’s Breezeway Market. Photo courtesy: Oh’ Lemonade

Oh’ Lemonade is a Black-owned and operated event caterer, drink supplier and eatery specializing in 20-ounce flavored and fresh fruit-infused lemonades, which have become a staple in the Tallahassee community. Originally conceived as a family lemonade stand in 2012, Oh’ Lemonade moved to its current location tucked in the Breezeway Market at the Railroad Square Art Park in 2019, providing easy access to students from both Florida A&M University and Florida State University. In addition to its signature lemonades, Oh’ Lemonade offers a diverse menu of casual dishes ranging from burgers and smothered beef patties to their popular stuffed potatoes, with no single dish costing more than $15.

For my first visit to Oh’ Lemonade, I ordered a shrimp po’boy with sides of fried jalapenos and mac and cheese, totaling about $22 before tax. Due to limited seating in and around the Breezeway Market, I chose to take my order to-go. The first thing I noticed after unboxing my food was the somewhat deceiving portions. For example, while it originally looked like I was given a generous portion of fried jalapenos, I soon discovered that most of the box was breading, with the actual jalapenos making up just a small percentage of the food. Similarly, the shrimp po’boy seemed to be dominated by the sandwich bread, with very few pieces of shrimp spread throughout the sandwich with the lettuce, tomatoes, and a special house sauce.

Despite being disappointed with the proportion sizes and overabundance of bread in my meal, I was still excited to try the food from a local supplier. Unfortunately, the taste of the food was unable to redeem the meal, as it also fell below expectations. The over-breading of the fried jalapenos led to an overwhelming salty taste that masked any existence of the jalapenos underneath. While the Oh’ Lemonade house sauce was reminiscent of a well-made remoulade, the rest of the po’boy was good, but not great. While the shrimp was well cooked, it was not seasoned enough to make up for the low amount compared to the thick bread provided for the sandwich. The mac and cheese, while probably the best thing I ordered, left no lasting impressions beyond topping the other items in my initial order.

While my first experience ordering food from Oh’ Lemonade failed to meet expectations, the diverse menu, low prices, ideal location and locally renowned drinks mean there are plenty of options that may have hit the spot for me. While I do not plan on returning, Oh’ Lemonade offers FAMU and FSU students a local spot with plenty of options to find what they like.