I had high expectations based on reviews here and somewhere else. However, I can understand people who are driving for 2 hours just to get here. The quality of meat is remarkable. This is not even close to your fast food or junk food joints. This is a very high quality meat. I guess my disappointment is the fact that with that meat they don't serve other quality food and still position themselves as a joint. More or less. But hey, you obviously can't beat the prices and the ambience is one of high dining as well. read more

We were in Texas and ate at the Van location ,food was delicious, hot and fast. The ribs where cooked perfectly! read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

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Well we wanted bbq for breakfast so we stopped here on our way to Dallas, Texas. The brisket was cooked perfectly! Jucy, smoky, and tender! However, we were not impressed by the sides! Texas Toast wasn't! The Potato Salad seemed like they were made from mashed potatoes, had too much mustard, and didn't taste very good! And the Mac Cheese tasted like velveeta cheese and right out of the box! Staff was helpful but the sides need help! The brisket was good so that being said I would suggest the stop! But would probably find a bbq restaurant that is a little less fast food! read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - BBQ Brisket, Potato Salad, and Pecan Pie! Yum! - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

Great bbq sandwich, moist and tasty. I had the ham sandwich no sauce and it was awesome. The mac and cheese and fried okra bites were very good. Definitely would hit this place again. Just driving through read more

I'm a 5, it's 2nd time here, the Q is as good as it gets, hats off to the pit master it's excellent really... Sides good they have the soft serve ice cream, clean location including clean bathrooms easy exit next to loves truck stop, quick service read more

My husband and I stopped here on the way back home to the DFW area. Very friendly staff and personable. My taste buds was all over the place and they helped me decide what I wanted. I ended up with pork ribs and two sides which were a fried apple pie and potato salad. My baby back ribs were seasoned (I prefer no sauce when trying ribs) and slightly hard. My fried apple pie reminded me of church's restaurant fried pies but without the icing. It was perfectly fried and crispy and with just the right amount of sweetness. The potato salad was very good with a mustard and pickle taste. Over all it was a decent meal but nothing that really stood out to up the stars. read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - Ribs and potatoe salad - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

Meats are something you need to try and you will not be disappointed. In regards to the staff of this location,well, not the most sociable people around ..... . Good thing I'm only here for the food . read more

Delicious. Convenient from I-20. However, the line for service, especially on Sunday, can be over an hour and you have to stand the entire time. (If you order in advance, they wait till you get there - so, no saving time. read more

Food was below average. Brisket dry, sausage was good, ribs dry and over cooked. Potato salad was Turrable and the beans were turrabler. The place is nice and service was good. Never eating here again read more

I got the 3-meat platter. It was probably the most bland BBQ I've ever had. They basically take all of your meat and drown it in a watery flavorless sauce and call it a day. Otherwise is has absolutely no flavor. Even with the sauce all over it, the brisket was dry. The "pulled pork" isn't even truly pulled. It's just chopped up Boston butt or pork shoulder. If you want real BBQ, I would avoid this place. It's worse than Sonny's BBQ, which is pretty sad. The Mac n cheese is yellow. Other than that is barely resembles Mac n cheese. The pinto beans were the most flavorful thing I had. I won't ever be going back. read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

They are awesome food is on point love everything about this for joint I love the barbecue it's so nice out

Best bbq in town. Stopped in and got "the Tyler" and boy was it good. I recommend to anyone lookin for some BBQ

The meat selections are wonderful... something for every taste. Beef brisket , pork ribs, chicken, pork ribs, ham. Do miss out on the beans with added tomato, onion and jalapeños. The best anywhere. Staff is friendly and accommodating. The ambience is typical casual BBQ joint, but clean and adequate. We ate at the Van location right off of I 20. I didn't eat the desserts, but they looked delicious and are homemade. Prices are average, but their portions are huge! read more

I stopped here driving across the country. Pretty good bbq. They have the standard items and sides. Good place to go for a casual meal.

Great tasting food, always consistent. Great service, so helpful, go above and beyond to make sure you're happy, fast service. We live closer to a different BBQ place, but Soulmans is the family favorite, so we drive the extra miles. Don't pass by, pull in! read more

Always yummy! Baked potato with brisket! Added the cream corn - a little bit of sweet and spicy!! read more

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I was not impressed at all matter of fact I was very disappointed I had the three meat plate and a hot link the cream corn and the cabbage. The meat didn't have a lot of flavor and my ribs were so hard that they literally broke apart like wood. The cream corn was delicious the cabbage was okay the brisket had no flavor whatsoever. read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - This is a piece of the rib that I couldn't even eat cuz it was so hard. - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

Kids corn dogs were burnt. After sending them back the second batch was better but still had a few over cooked ones. As expensive as our bill was the food was crap. read more

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Was a great lunch , prices are decent and you'll walk out feeling like you gained 10 lbs. Cons : for the price you pay for a stuffed potato you should be able to choose whatever type of chop meat you would like .. but you can't, I love bbq chicken but unfortunately that's one of the item you can not get on the potato. But if you choose to you can order the plate and you'll have to add it yourself. The hole meal drink and banana pudding was less then 20.00 read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - There double barrel potato - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

Came here two years ago and it was pretty good BBQ. Today, not so much. Ribs were dry and tasted like the same batch from two years ago. No baked beans and out of pecan pie. Won't be back. read more

Ok TL;DR Absolutely stop here and try the buttermilk pie. So best thing for me is the fact they're right next door to the Loves AND they allow trucks to park out back. Very much appreciated. The manager was super cool, offered samples of the Friday night catfish (didn't try it not a fan of fish) but from the parking lot you can SMELL that this place is good and I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to BBQ. I had the ribs and sliced beef with Mac and cheese and coleslaw it was all phenomenal. I was a bit hesitant to try the buttermilk pie cuz buttermilk is gross but this was surprisingly delightful! Think kind of a lighter fluffier more butter-y version of flan. And they sell sweet tea by the gallon! Great place Absolutely will be back next time I'm through the area read more

I don't get to have it much because of my heart condition but when I go Roberts the manager I think is Amy's make sure that my potato is done right with no bad no black and not greasy and I appreciate it so I go more and more more than I should but please don't tell my doctor or my husband! read more

Drove 2 hours. Couldn't be more let down. Cold and tasteless. Beans have 0 flavor and the corn is just sweet. Ribs are dry and brisket is chewy. I'm usually not the one to write bad reviews, but this not worth the stop. Just head to Tyler. Sorry soulmans but gotta tell the truth. read more

Great brisket!! Love the loaded baked potato with chopped brisket !! The family meals feed a lot as well. We really enjoy it when we order out from soul man's !! read more

Good service great food and if your a veteran you get a discount. They have a few tv's and they don't sell beer . Will definitely come back here again. read more

Difficult review to write. Let's start with the food. I ordered the two meat plate with two sides. I ordered lean brisket and pork ribs. The brisket had decent flavor, moderate bark, but was extremely dry. That's not unheard of with lean brisket though so I'll give it a pass. The pork ribs, although the bark lacked flavor and needed Salt, were very tender and delicious. Just needed to add some salt to the outside. Definitely worth the trip. I went back for a hot link. Also very good. Let's talk about the sides. They. Were. Delicious. I had to order extra sides just to try them. Fried cabbage was spot on, and managed to not be soggy and overcooked, despite being held in a steam table. The ranch beans were loaded with onions, peppers and tomatoes, and were very good. The mac and cheese was gooey and creamy, with pasta that was not overcooked and soggy. The spicy potatoes were a highlight. Panfried cubes of potatoes with onions, tomatoes and jalapenos, highly seasoned and divine. The creamed corn was on point, and much better than most. The sauce....meh. Tasted like KC Masterpiece, which is grossly sweet and overly smokey. Pass. (But good meat needs no sauce, so no big) I would rate the food a solid 4.5 Service on the other hand.....I walked in to a near empty joint before the lunch rush. The girl at the head of the line (big girl with glasses) looked up, scowl on her face, made eye contact, but said nothing. No greeting, no anything. As I looked at the overhead menu, a Male customer walked in. She looked up and greeted him immediately and pleasantly. I asked him to go ahead of me since I was still deciding. She was pleasant with him the whole time. She returns to me, I place my order. She interacts as minimally as possible (for here or to go? 2 sides or baked potato?). I go to the end of the line to pay. Cashier is staring at me with a strange grin on her face. Also very kurt, bordering on rude. I begin to wonder if I have a booger hanging out of my nose. She takes my credit card, swipes it....and walks away (big no-no with someone's card). Goes off and carries a big dirty mixing bowl back to the kitchen. My food and I are just chilling at the register (not a good thing for hot food to do, no?). Returns 2 minutes later with my card. Snore. Never broke her weird grinny stare. Paranoia sets in. Is there toilet paper on my shoe? Is the back of my skirt tucked into my pantyhose? (I'm wearing denim shorts and flip flops, but still)...Kick me sign on my back? I sat at a booth and watched as the place filled up at lunch. The service was strangely inconsistent. Super friendly one minute. Oddly cold the next. And with no discernible pattern. Didn't appear related to gender, age, race, or even whether or not someone was a regular or newbie. Bottom line: food is generally very good, but be prepared for hurt feelings if you're a snowflake. Also, check your nose for boogies before you enter, to rule out early doubt. read more

The ribs were amazing. I ordered the double barreled stuffed potato. I asked for it without the fixings which they put in it anyways so I had to go back to have it remade. The smoked Turkey was good. read more

Great food and good service! I definitely recommend coming if you're looking for a small barbecue place. Definitely recommend.

Great dry-rub ribs!! Soulman's and Baker's Ribs are my two favorite BBQ joints in Texas. This Soulman's is especially Nice as they offer truck parking! Hubby had the pulled pork and brisket. They used to make The World's Best Potatoes Au Gratin (they smoked their potatoes!) but since they stopped, I get a huge baked potato instead of two sides. Their banana pudding is made with banana-flavored pudding, not vanilla pudding with sliced bananas. Someday, I want to take a gastronomic foodie road trip with my 16 yo son, to share with him some of the awesome food I have found across America. Soulman's is DEFINITELY on the list! Only 1000 miles from home, too!! read more

We had been seeing the signs for Soulman's along I-20 and pulled in for a fuel and lunch stop. If they've been around 40 years they must be doing something right. And they are. Decor is cute and it smells deliciously smoky as soon as you walk in the door. Texas is more known for beef but I went for the Double Barrell (a baked potato with all the fixins) filled also with pulled pork shoulder. The meat was very good with excellent flavor, not too fatty and not too dry. I liked the flavor of their sauce as well. The portion was enough that I took almost half with me for later. Not bad for $8.99. D had a chopped brisked sammy with fries and enjoyed that as well. There's a big condiment bar in the middle with pickles, banana peppers, relish, tomato onion salad and things like that. I like all those kinds of items as well as any side, and they're free. Woo hoo! The sweet tea wasn't overly sweet, good for me too. We would definitely make it a stop on this stretch of I-20 in our out of Dallas. read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - The Double Barrell...baked potato stuffed with pulled pork shoulder and the fixins - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

Nice joint with some flaws. When you walk in you immediately see the meat. It looks great, and for me it was great. I had the pulled pork and ribs. Both great. You choose your sides, and they are right in front of you to pick. I had green beens, which were fine, and fries, which were under a heat lamp. They would have been great if they were fresh, but they weren't. Still fine. The slice of toast I got was uneatable. I took one bite and that was it. It must have been cooked an hour earlier. (Or last night.) Great tea. In its entirety, the food was a definite plus. It cost $19 which was a bit high considering the buffet like process of the sides and their lack of freshness. I will go back. read more

Very very sad at the way one of the heads of Soulman's in Van, TX treated my mother and 3 other groups that we witnessed. The head person was very loud, aggressive and extremely rude. My mother felt so disrespected that she left the restaurant. He also was very loud and very condescending to even his team in front of the patrons. We talked to the other 3 groups of people and all of us are from Van. We all said we would never go back after being treated this way. I wanted to kindly reach out by email to their Corp office to let them know the experience and advised them that they may want to address his actions before more and more locals stop visiting. It has been nearly 2 weeks and they have not bothered reaching out to us. Very disappointing. read more

I saw a sign on Interstate 20 saying that the best barbecue in Texas could be found here on exit 540, so I had to stop. Since we were traveling, I decided to get a sandwich. I ordered a tri-tip sandwich. The gentleman behind the counter sliced off a good hunk of meat, carefully removed the fat, and then chopped it up. He asked if I wanted sauce, which I asked him to add. The result - a wonderful, hot, tender, delicious sandwich, which I thoroughly enjoyed! It had a very generous portion of meat, and the sauce was sweet and yummy! It certainly was the best tri-tip sandwich I have had in a very long time. I also got a slice of buttermilk pie, which was very tasty too. The men who prepared my food and helped me at the register were both very nice and helpful. The links, ribs, and sides all looked so good. I just wish I had more time to sit down and enjoy a full meal there. I certainly will if I get back to this part of the country again. read more

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Disappointing. I've been here before and enjoyed the food greatly. This time, though, was a let-down. I like the extremes of brisket goodness: bark and fat, lots of fat. This brisket had neither. It was more like roast beef and tasted like water. I suppose I could have poured on more sauce, but I don't care for Texas style barbecue sauce and if you need to pour on sauce for flavor there is something wrong. The cream corn was too spicy. I guess that's what they mean by Texas style, but it overpowered the creamy sweetness that you really want. The green beans were as tasteless as the brisket. The buttermilk pie was OK, but I got it because they were out of their banana pudding. The service was gruff and cursory, and no one followed up to see how I enjoyed my meal. I'm curious to see if anyone follows up on this review. All this disappointment cost me nearly $20. There are way too many bar-b-q places in East Texas to make this mistake again. read more

The best BBQ anywhere, just wish there was one closer to where we live. Every time we get close to the Dallas area we have to stop.

Bullshit service. I pulled up in the parking lot at 8:55 pm and the doors were locked. I called and asked what time they closed and the girl on the phone told me 9:00 pm. I told her that I was in the parking lot and the door was locked. She told me to hurry and come in, so I got out of my truck and went back to the front door. The doors were still locked and they refused to open them. The guy that came to the front door thought it was funny. This whole time, there was a line of customers waiting to be served. I normally stop here once or twice a week to eat when I pass through. NEVER AGAIN! I'll go a little out of my way and eat at the Soulman's in Terrell. read more

I've been coming here for the past 12 years now. I'm a truck driver that lives in California but every time I'm in Texas mainly Dallas I have to stop here. My wife and my doctor may not like it but this is my bad habit. barbecue and I only barbecue great barbecue there's plenty of parking for trucks or RVs. These guys are really great. Atmosphere is great too And don't forget to try the sweet tea. Thanks guys for being consistent for the past 45 years may God bless you and keep on making great barbecue. read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - Truckers Life - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

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This barbecue shack is beside loves truckstop it's perfect for the truckers. We stopped in for dinner last night the place was very dirty. The barbecue did not have a smoke flavor, Half a rack of ribs I had was really dried out. My wife had chicken it was dried out also. The beans and potato salad we're good, The staff was very friendly. I think they need to kick their barbecue up a motch. It's not like good Texas barbecue should be. Purdy disappointed in it. Hi Brett You may send me your number and I Will call you. Thank you. read more

One of the places you have to visit if you are in the area and want bbq. Lean brisket is perfect and not dry. Ribs are my next favorite along with pinto beans and Mac and cheese. This trip the ribs were a little dry but the smoked turkey made up for it. Never bad food here. Easy access right off I20 and you can call in orders ahead. I always get 2-3 lbs of meat and sides to feed relatives and teenage boys that drop by unannounced. I've never met a teenage boy that didn't like free food, especially good BBQ... read more

It's impossible to cook better ribs than these. Every time I go (and that's often) I look over the menu - and pick ribs. So, so good...