While visiting Roscoe Village we went out for lunch. We had several items and they were all very good. The side sampler was a lot of food. Portion sizes were generous. There are a couple of ways to order. There is a kiosk or a QR code to order and pay or if you are using the "InKind" app you will order from the counter. Once ordered there is table delivery. The counter staff was very helpful. There is a large comfortable indoor seating area and also outside seating both with views of the North Branch of the Chicago River. Tips I recommend the In Kind app and so does Soul & Smoke. If you're in a group share to experience the various offerings. read more

See all

I discovered Soul & Smoke Avondale via Google after searching for good black-owned businesses to support on Juneteenth. Soul & Smoke was one of six top black-owned spots to support. This women-led restaurant in Chicago is renowned for its mouthwatering barbecue, brisket, and soul food sides, making it the ideal spot for a meal on Juneteenth. Once I realized it was the closest to me and offered a plant-based option, I knew exactly where I wanted to order from. I ended up ordering the smokey joe sandwich (vegan sloppy joe sandwich), with a side of mac + cheese, and a sprecher soda. Whether I'm using Grubhub or Uber Eats, I love ordering online because it's so convenient. I also want to praise my delivery driver for arriving at a reasonable time with my order and meeting me right in front of my residence. Grateful to have had a smooth online ordering experience because the likelihood of me ordering online again is very high. As for my order, my first response after my first bite of the vegan sloppy joe was, "Mmm, that is good!" If you are a foodie like me, then you know what the next few minutes--or, better yet, seconds--consisted of. Yes, I pretty much devoured that vegan sloppy joe, leaving nothing behind but what was left on my fingertips. The last time I had a vegan sloppy Joe was a few years ago in celebration of my birthday, and trust me, it wasn't as good as this one at Soul & Smoke. It could easily be confused with real meat if you aren't aware that it is vegan. I saved the side order for last, which was that delicious-looking mac and cheese. Mmm... "Oh my God!" was my initial response after my first forkful, which was lightly seasoned with a delightful taste. I must say it was the perfect side for the vegan sloppy joe. After my last bites, I had the slightest grin on my face, and the only thing on my mind was that I will definitely have it again in the future. The sprecher soda - cherry cola was the perfect complement to my meal. Introduced to me by Soul & Smoke, I am so pleased with this award-winning craft soda from Milwaukee's oldest craft brewery that I will be on the lookout for it in the future. I would gladly order from Soul & Smoke Avondale again, whether online or whenever I am in the area. With that, I am happy to share my endorsement of it with you all here on Yelp. Ambiance: 4/5 | Service: 5/5 | Food: 5/5 ~ You Are Your Choices. ~ Thomas G read more

See all

I was in the neighborhood and saw the reviews, I was kinda lost looking for this place where I walked in to a private lot and was able to see a small sign outside. Walked to the other side of the building and saw the store front. There was no one inside sitting so my original thought was it was closed but someone popped out inside the kiosk. I had a taste for ribs, but he only had rib tips. I ordered 1 pound of that, 3 sides which was garlic mash, chicken gumbo and slaw - total was $40. The ribs are moist and great, gumbo was very salty and mash was tasty. I have to come back when they have more items to buy. read more

Soul & Smoke Avondale - SMOKED DUROC RIB TIPS 1pound - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Purchased three slices of the caramel cake. I've ordered the cake before and it was great. The whole cake was not available for delivery. Very careless packaging. One slice was smashed in the container with the frosting all over it. Another slice was a mini portion. The slices were not uniform. Expensive for what we received. Very disappointed. read more

Came here for a quick drink and a taste of some yummy BBQ. The area is a large place with plenty of seating with some scenic views. I was surprised to only find one person working the place - and worried it would take a while, but I was mistaken. I got my beverage and food very quickly and it tasted great. If you are in the area, this is a cool place to take a group to eat with a view! read more

Soul & Smoke Avondale - Bourbon sour - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Service was great and so was the food. Parking was a bit tight but we found a spot in the lot. I will definitely come back and highly recommended it. I had a Brisket sandwich with shrimp and grits as a side. Shrimp and grits was a bit spicy but not too bad. Brisket was excellent. My wife had the pulled pork sliders with Mac and Cheese as a side. Both were excellent. read more

See all

Food was good but cold upon arrival n not worth the price point Charged an automatic tip of 21$ plus 15$ delivery fee for a 1 mile drive Delivery set for 1 food got to us at 130 It cost 177$ for one little family meal and a side sampler Made like 5 plates. One plate left over on top of everything of everything they forgot the buns with a slider meal. If you're gonna charge this much you gotta be on point , otherwise don't surcharge after surcharge And say can't bring the buns you forgot n refund to make things easier n cut your costs Whatever happened to customer first ? My bday meal. read more

I'll start with the good. I only tried the brisket, but it was very good. The meat was really tasty and the three different sauces I tried were all equally delicious. I also liked how spacious the inside was. There was both indoor and outdoor seating. Now for the not so good. The service was very, very slow. It was not busy at all when I went. I waited an usually long time for my simple order. I also feel like the prices are ridiculously high. There is an automatic 8% service fee for ordering at the counter so after all fees and taxes I paid over $25 for a measly half pound of brisket with no sides included. I find that outrageous. I also didn't like that it was fairly unclean inside. The sauce bottles were on a cart and the sauce was all over the sides of some of the bottles. The table was a bit unclean as well. Overall, I think this place has the potential to be five stars but it's just an OK experience for now. read more

As someone from Texas I came here very skeptical and left incredibly surprised and happy!! I devoured the rib tips like didn't share a single one they were AMAZING and is a must order!!! Bf got the brisket sandwich which is huge for the price and pork sliders! We also got collard greens and garlic mash with a spreecher root beer!!! I honestly enjoyed everything down to the music, mood lighting and gorgeous river views! They have trivia Tuesday's and bingo Thursday's and the patio outside is dog friendly! This is a gorgeous little spot I'm so glad we visited!!!! GET THE RIB TIPS & MIX The tangy and bbq sauce together !!!!! read more

See all

Fantastic! I'm from Kansas City and it is extremely hard to find good BBQ in Chicago. This tops it! The scenery is so beautiful. Staff was very helpful. We got the prime brisket sandwiches, prime brisket dinner. Very delicious The grits and collard greens are very good! The apple slaw was such a surprise, very good! read more

TDLR: This place would be awesome to dine at in nice weather outside along the river. The vibes inside are beautiful with tons of plants, so it is a pleasant place to be. You order at a kiosk and pick up the food and bring it to your table. Food (4/5) - Brisket Sandwich - brisket was delish with a great crust on it. It came on a bun which could have been warmed or roasted, but I would order again or just get plain brisket next time. - Poboy Main - pork was good but more bun than meat - Turkey Tips Main - so/so - Cornbread side = yes (you can even order cinnamon butter to come with it) - Coleslaw side = good wth sweet bits in it, I'm guessing little cranberries - Red bean side = spicy and hot - Sauces: gold, tangy and original. The menu says that you pay extra for more sauce, however if you dine in they have sauce bottles out and you can pour however much you want. Ambiance (5/5) - Beautiful location along the river so you will dine with great views. - I found the restaurant hard to find. - Easy parking. - Large tables, great for big groups, even 6+. 9 tables inside. read more

See all

Great location, building and surrounding area is modernized. Really like how it seems a bit secluded. It's surrounded by more industrial and open lots but there is a small nook that has all these interesting businesses. Shrimp and Grits Bold flavor and shrimp is cooked absolutely perfect! Cornbread Tender soft and sweet great cornbread. Was not expecting much from just a side order but ended up being extremely impressed. Brisket Super soft and juicy exploding with flavor and outer crust has great seasoning. The brisket is a MUST TRY! Pulled Pork A bit underwhelming compared to the rest of the amazing dishes. Not as flavorful or as juicy. Rib Tips Tender and full of favor. Mac and cheese Creamy/flavorful mac and cheese read more

See all

I went to visit soul and smoke in Avondale for lunch. The aesthetics of the restaurant was calming with a rustic feel and great view of open water. The server was pleasant and very helpful. I ordered turkey tips, regular tips, greens and corn bread muffins. The greens were tender and well seasoned. The cornbread mufflin was moist, a large portion size and had good flavor. Both the turkey tips and pork tips were tender. I did only give this restaurant 3 stars because unfortunately the pork tips were only room temperature and the turkey tips were a bit cooler then room temp. I also originally wanted two orders of turkey tips but they were sold out. The greens and the cornbread were the perfect temperature. Also to note, they do not put BBQ sauce on your meal. You have three sauces to choose from to get your desired taste. read more

Soul & Smoke Avondale - Pork SMOKED DUROC RIB TIPS, COLLARD GREENS,CORNBREAD MUFFIN - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Taste of Chicago super sample short review: I am grading on what I had, the sample provided...and what the vendor thought would be the catch/draw for their restaurant. Best ribs at the Taste of Chicago, and it wasn't even close. The portion size was excellent too for a sample portion. Fall off the bone, tender and juicy ribs. I didn't get a lot of smoke flavor but overall an excellent cook temperature. The heavy bbq sauce was a wonder balance to the ribs, not too sweet or spicy/salty. Great job Soul & Smoke...this is how you make ribs. read more

Soul & Smoke Avondale - SMOKED SPARE RIBS* - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

This place is a bit hard to find. It's right along the river in a wonderful setting. Picnic benches and tables. You order with a QR menu. The service is really fast. Had the rib tips and brisket. My favorite was the brisket. My wife preferred the tips. The meats are killer. I also had the garlic mash potatoes which is a decent portion I like mine a bit more garlicky but it was good and almost creamy. They have a variety of cocktails and beers. Their sweets are from Brown Sugar Bakery which is amazing. I had tried the gumbo which is chicken based. It was good. But having just been in NOLA, it was not NOLA-like. But this is not a knock. read more

Stopped by for dinner on a Thursday night. The Avondale space is kinda strange in winter, with an open hall near the walk-up counter used as the seating space (for now, per signs nearby). The food was good, with the pulled pork po'boy being the winner for my wife and I, along with the cake-like cornbread and the dirty rice. (The brisket sandwich was good, but not standout.) The main issue we had with our meal was two-fold. First, it is suggested to order using a kiosk or your phone, using Toasttab to make your order. This will take a few minutes, much more so than just telling a staff member what you want. Staffing is what it is at Chicagoland restaurants these days, so the staff of one working during our dinner night couldn't do everything. This is just a bit of a hassle. The second issue was speed. I've reviewed over a thousand restaurants on Yelp and been to a hundred different BBQ places around the country. I've never had to wait 38 minutes to get BBQ. At the other 99+, you get in line, walk up to a counter and say the words, I don't know, "pulled pork", and a person lops a bunch of pulled pork on your tray then you walk to the register and pay. At Soul & Smoke? You order, then you wait, almost like you wait for a steak at a steakhouse...but you are not at a steakhouse. Now don't get me wrong...I've had to wait 30 minutes, an hour, sometimes more, for the chance to order at a BBQ place. That part, I don't care about. But when there's no one at the place--and at 7:57 on a Thursday night, there was nobody at the Avondale location of Soul & Smoke--you expect to walk up, say "brisket sandwich", then watch as someone quickly puts your sandwich together, dumps rice into a paper cup, then pushes a tray down the rack towards your position. Not so here. And that will affect my desire to come back. I'm frightened by the idea that the place could have been packed...who knows how long it would have taken to get this food. (Full disclosure: there were two other tables, two parties of two, who were in front of us waiting for food at their respective tables. So, it took 38 minutes to get three tables served. I'm sure there were takeout orders going as well. Come very prepared to wait if you decide to make this trip!) Tasty, but the wait time is a major deterrent. I'll check back on this location once the space expands later this year! read more

Always solid bbq, especially the brisket. Super fast delivery and it is well packaged. Everything I've had has been delicious!

I'm somewhat surprised with the reviews of Soul & Smoke. I attribute it to the usual challenge of many folks valuing quantity over quality. The cuts of pork and brisket are clearly top notch. The shrimp are large and fresh. Yes, they're more expensive than some of my preferred hood BBQ spots, but this isn't that style. It's gotta be tough running a BBQ joint when so many folks think Sweet Baby Ray's is elite. Have I had better? Absolutely. At times do I prefer Chicago Style BBQ? Of course, but Soul & Smoke is a fine option and small business worth supporting if you don't mind the splurge and $9 cake slices. read more

See all

Came for lunch, very chill open concept, order wr the counter or from your table and the food gets brought out. Really liked the brisket, mac and cornbread but the collard greens weren't as flavorful as I hoped, only reason I'm giving 4 stars, otherwise Really fire!! I'd come back again and get more brisket and mac n cheese! read more

Soul & Smoke Avondale - Brisket plate with collard greens, mac n cheese, cornbread and gumbo - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

Felt like we stumbled onto a hidden gem on Rockwell but turns out we're just late to the party. Forgive us, we have kids. Enjoyed fantastic pork sliders, shrimp and grits and delicious pickles on an idyllic dummer day. Go for ambience AND food, there are no trade offs here. read more

See all

First, it is NOT readily apparent from the web that this IS NOT a full service restaurant. Second, the food is mediocre at best and expensive army worst. Sandwiches come in buns no bigger thab McDonald's uses for their regular burgers The brisket was room temperature, but the kitchen temperature must be in the sixties Three sandwiches with a side and 3 beers $89.00. Plus, what kind of Chicago BBQ joint DOES NOT have any kind of ribs??!! They have an expensive order of rib tips. Smoque BBQ on Pulaski is leap years better on all fronts read more

There is MOLD on my SLICE CARAMEL CAKE. The green spots on this cake is mold. This is unacceptable. read more

Soul & Smoke Avondale - SLICE CARAMEL CAKE - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food was decent. The meat was very flavorful. We had the sampler, the ribs were good and tender, brisket had seasoning, pulled pork was tasty but a bit dry, collards were good and seasoned and I normally don't buy these at restaurants and the Mac and cheese was creamy. The only thing I didn't like was the jalapeño and cheese sausage. Service was great, and ambience outstanding, but make sure to eat your food before it gets cold. read more

The food was incredible and the staff could not have been nicer. Only slight issue I had was that the food took a little longer than expected, given my coworker and I were the only customers at the time. Overall a pretty great place to eat! read more

What a complete mess. I adore bbq was looking forward to trying this place. My family ordered brisket sandwiches and a brisket dinner. All the meat was over salted and tough as leather. We got cornbread as tough as a hockey puck. I love greens but mine were still crunchy and undercooked. The only saving grace was the mashed potatoes. The Mac and cheese was mushy and gross. All the portions were beyond tiny. Even the Carmel slice of cake was a portion for a toddler. Avoid this place if you want good bbq go anywhere else read more

You wouldn't think this place had BOMB BBQ based on location, service, "atmosphere" lol, etc but it's one of TBE in Chicago. Beats Green Street and many others that have existed. Their brisket has a fatty layer that is smoked to perfection and it passes the fork test, it folds over nicely. The corn bread is moist and oh so delicious beyond most corn bread. Just BOMB DIGGITTY and RARE . Good. Check it out. read more

They have a great casual space indoors and outdoors (I'm sure it's fun in the summer), very friendly staff, and most importantly delicious food. I couldn't decide which bbq sauce I liked the best. They offer ribs on the weekend. Definitely will come back! read more

For my first time trying Soul & Smoke, I appreciated the experience. Awesome Marina views, satisfying service with tasty food. I tried their rib tips with a side of Mac for lunch and it was good. There was great music and I can see myself coming back again. read more

Food was not all that, and was quite expensive for my taste. Simply a place at a good location if you like to have a boating experience. Location is the only thing this place has going for them. read more

The service was great, we had a larger party and the employee handled the job good. The ambiance is nice and chill with good feeling music. It's definitely a hidden spot but worth ride. I recommend mac and cheese and shrimp and grits. read more

See all

It was good, not great. The location is confusing as hell but we were able to find it. We ordered the rib ribs, brisket, turkey tips, grits, greens, mashed potatoes, cornbread, smoked chicken gumbo, & red beans and rice. The meats were good not as much flavor as I'd like for the turkey tips but I covered it in BBQ sauce. The sides were OK. I would recommend the greens and cornbread. The grits tasted very different - almost like dressing. It tasted as if there was sage used. Odd. Not my favorite. read more

It's very hard to find real bbq anywhere North of the Mason-Dixon Line. I've tried. This is one of the few decent examples here in Chicago. I would go back and try more so that's saying a lot right there. I tried the rib tips, collard greens and the rice and beans. I ordered the regular bbq sauce. The collards and beans came out freakishly hot. Are they nuking these? I wish they wouldn't or would back off because you change the flavor when you do that. They're 3 stars. I used to live in the South so that's 3 star for the U.S. and probably 4 or 5 for Chicago. They need to offer Crystal, Louisiana or Tabasco with these though. They should know better and don't for some reason. The coleslaw is very good but lose the fruit. Lose it or cut back on it drastically. It's not necessary and it's over the top. The rib tips were great. Smoky, juicy and delicious. They can be tough and some of mine were borderline but they were nicely done. I like the rub and I liked them with their house sauce. I wish they offered St Louis ribs instead but I did enjoy them. I would also prefer it if they had a sampler for the lone diner. I would like to have tried a plate with another meat. Some service notes. I could not execute the QR at the table for my order. I couldn't get to a check-out screen. I went up and ordered at the kiosk but by that time was pretty frustrated. You can just order directly at their window and I probably would recommend you just do that. The sides and ribs were served in paper. BUT, they serve the coleslaw in plastic as well as the side of sauce. The water glasses are plastic cups too and there is no recycling here. I would like them to consider NOT serving sauce. There are squeeze bottles around the room. Stick with that. Paper cups are fine for water people! Get with it, it's 2025. Why are you serving me a thimble of coleslaw in single use plastic? Figure it all out and fix it. read more

The meat Sampler was solid. The rib tips were good. Nicely smoked, tender and juicy. The pickles were tasty, famous Dave esque. The brisket and pull pork were just ok. The sausage I did not like. Not good imo. I had the regular BBQ sauce which was solid and this vinegar type which I was not a fan of. As far as sides the potatoes were good, the slaw and chicken Gumbo you can pass on. The Cornbread was a winner of your into sweet bread. That said it's an ok place, might go I a pinch, but no special visit. read more

Soul & Smoke Avondale - Meat Sampler - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

Do not order from this place on DoorDash! My family ordered dinner tonight and did not receive half of the items we ordered. They sent us turkey tips with no bbq sauce and without the advertised coleslaw. We ordered a sweet potato -- it's completely missing. Won't be visiting this place or ordering from here ever again. They ought to be ashamed of themselves for the crumbs they sent to us to dine upon. Never again. read more

Soul & Smoke Avondale - Missing a number of our items for family of four. Shameful. - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

The food was good and I will order and come again and the service was excellent I was at the west loop location were I purchased my foods

Slooooow service. Nothing special about anything I had. Sliders were small even by common slider scale. Grits were room temperature at best. Without getting some humans assisting more and not relying on scanned bar codes, you'll be short lived. Bussing tables only is not service. My two stars are for the patio atmosphere and the good beer selection. Lotta work needed. Very disappointing. read more

The firm I work for catered lunch from Soul & Smoke today, and I was blown away! I'm originally from Western NC, where we are famous for our pulled pork BBQ. I've lived in Chicago for over six years now and have never found any BBQ comparable to what I used to get back home - until today! It's not exactly the same, but it's close enough! I had the southern chopped salad, the green beans, mac and cheese, and pulled pork, and everything was DELICIOUS and cooked perfectly. I also love the owners' commitment to philanthropy and equity and will 100% be supporting this business going forward! read more

I was unhappy with how much weight I gained over the years. I blame no one other than myself for that decline in health. You could say, I'm talking about the man in the mirror. I'm asking him to make a.... CHANGE. Then, I tasted these cornbread muffins and thought, "Nah. I'mma just stay chubby." They were SO good. The brisket was fantastic. The grits were ridiculous. And, chicken gumbo too? What?!?! A lot of other places I've been will make their mac and cheese with 42 different cheeses, and they will caramelize the top layer of cheese with a hand torch, while infusing it with various natural mists and fragrances, but they full-on refused to just put any seasoning in it. Soul and Smoke makes a simple mac and cheese that you'll probably want to be your last bite of the meal. Does anyone else do that?... Save the some of the favorite part of the meal for the last bite, so that it's the last thing you taste? I'm not weird, right?... Or, if I am, I would be weird for this macaroni and cheese all dayumn day. Anyway, yeah. I'm a fan. Loved the space too. It looked like if you got stranded on Gilligan's Island, but the millionaire brought his contractor friend. Had a lot of charm. That deck looks over the river. And, it's beautiful. I'll be back. But, maybe I'll bike there next time, so that I don't feel so guilty. read more

Chicago Restaurant Weekend - Soul and Smoke. When I found out dinner was served all day long, this place beat out Greek Islands for today's dining choice. The grits are saged out, making the shrimp and grits taste like a Thanksgiving dinner. And I like that. The brisket was tender and flavorful and of the 3 sauces offered, their original bbq sauce was my fav. Greens and Mac & Cheese? Delicious! Cornbread was soft and moist. And the cake? Who had room for it? But I know it's delicious. It came from Brown Sugar Bakery. I'll be enjoying it later with coffee. read more

Soul & Smoke Avondale - Chicago Restaurant Week Menu - Shrimp and Grits, Corn Bread, Carmel Cake, Brisket, Greens, Mac & Cheese. - Barbeque Near Me - Chicago, Illinois

See all

This was one of the most disappointing food experiences I've ever had. I expected so much more. To express how underwhelmed I am would be an understatement. I haven't done food reviews on here in a while but I wouldn't want anyone else to make the same mistake that I've made. So here goes. Let's start with the cornbread muffin, it's probably the only thing that actually tasted good to me, although the price is a bit steep for some cornbread. Next up I tried the macaroni and cheese which didn't taste bad. But if we are being honest, soul food, mac and cheese is not white and creamy. It's usually in a heavy cheddar cheese base baked with elbow macaroni and chunks of sharp cheddar with a wrinkled brown crust of baked deliciousness. The grits were the most disappointing of all (btw half of this food went in the garbage. I paid over 40 bucks for some of the worst tasting "soul" food I have ever had). I am a GRITS girl which stands for: girls raised in the South. I have never tasted grits like these. They were horrible. When I ordered them I thought I was getting regular stone ground grits that you add your own butter or cheese to. But no I received this container that was pre-mixed with stoneground grits and some type of sage tasting herb and it was so distasteful to me that I ended up throwing a whole container away so I'm a little mad about that because a disclaimer or fuller description should have been made of what type grits they were. The durock rib tips were good but I've had better so my son finished those off for me cuz I only consumed one or two pieces. Coleslaw was a little salty and was more purple than the traditional Southern coleslaw I'm used to, which is usually creamy white with specks of carrots and sometimes purple cabbage. The last thing that I thought would be at least the coup de gras or redeeming factor was just as bad. A caramel cake slice that tasted quite inauthentic. I finished 1 layer and tossed the rest. Every single item I ordered I expected to taste similar to other soul, food, restaurants or even my own homemade and I was greatly disappointed that it tasted like neither. I love to give second chances but I believe this restaurant is a no-go for me. read more