Was in the mood for some Southern food today and most of it was pretty good. Fried pork chops were amazing, so were the shrimps , the chicken and the fried green tomatoes. Mac & cheese, cabbage and creamed spinach = delicious. Fries were ok. The spaghetti and corn muffins were a bit of a letdown. The catfish tasted very fishy. Not good. But would go back for everything else! Also, other than the remoulade with the Fried Green Tomatoes, there no sauces. And none were offered. That I found a bit weird read more

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Ok. Food and portion sizes aren't the same as when at the Bolingbrook location. Young Person taking the order didn't know the menu and had to check with someone else to answer questions. Took about 35 minute wait for carry out. Not bad but not great anymore read more

The food was once delicious when they were located In Bolingbrook but since moving to the new location the food is not good at all. It lacks seasoning the chicken is dry. The greens were salty and the muffin was dry and lacked flavor. Such a huge disappointment for the higher price. read more

It's been a long time coming, but Aurora a change has finally come and it's called The Soul Spot. This is soul food at its finest. From the moment we walked in, the aroma and energy let us know we were in for something special. Ordering was harder than expected not because of the menu, but because I kept eyeing everyone else's plates being served. Everything looked so good. After some back and forth, we finally settled on the baked chicken, shrimp, and smothered pork chops, each with two sides. Every single bite was flavorful, comforting, and clearly made with love. The baked chicken was tender, the shrimp perfectly seasoned, and the pork chops, Fall-off-the-bone and packed with rich, savory goodness. The sides were just as satisfying classic, soulful, and cooked just right. The service was warm and welcoming, and our waitress was incredibly friendly. The ambience ties it all together relaxed, inviting, and filled with the kind of vibe that makes you want to stay a while. The Soul Spot is more than just a meal, it's an experience. One I'll definitely be coming back for. read more

The Soul Spot - 8pc Shrimp Dinner Entree with two sides - Soul Food Near Me - Aurora, Illinois

Leaving 5 stars because the food here is absolutely amazing! We used to drive 35 minutes to visit when the restaurant was in Bolingbrook, so we are thrilled to have The Soul Spot now in Aurora. That being said, I do want to offer some constructive feedback because I truly want to see this restaurant succeed. The service feels a bit unpolished at the moment. During our visit, it took over 15 minutes before anyone greeted our table or offered drinks. A simple acknowledgment such as, "Hi, welcome in! We'll be right with you," would go a long way in making guests feel comfortable while they wait. I also noticed the table next to us had a similar experience, waiting about 15 minutes to be greeted and then another 15+ minutes for drinks. They turned around a few times to complain to us about not being greeted yet. Consistent delays like that could negatively impact the guest experience, even though the food itself is outstanding. I completely understand that opening a new restaurant comes with challenges, and I share this only because I want you to thrive. With some additional training and focus on hospitality, I believe the service can match the quality of the food. Our community has been missing a great soul food spot, and I truly want to see The Soul Spot flourish here in Aurora! read more

The Soul Spot - Baked Chicken Dinner, Kids 1pc Fried Chicken Thigh - Soul Food Near Me - Aurora, Illinois

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Wait staff was EXCELLANT ! service. Was good. Food was delicious . I ate in & order take out. Bothe ocassions we're a good experience

Slow service, food is terrible! Canned pinto beans and collard greens. Gnats flying around, I guess if you want extra meat with your meal, this is the spot. People walking around with no purpose while customers that have been sitting for 20 minutes. Do better people! read more

The Soul Spot - Soul Food Near Me - Aurora, Illinois

Make food from scratch, listen carefully to the customer before you make the order. I wonder do the owners know how the business is running.

First time eating here some items wasn't available food was great service was good...daily meals of the week nice value. read more

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I had the oxtails and two sides I had greens and yams everything was so good me and my family will be there eating at least once a week read more

The Soul Spot - Yams greens Oxtails & Rice Dinner - Soul Food Near Me - Aurora, Illinois

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Food was great and the price was excellent...highly recommend this spot! It's very convenient if you're shopping at the mall!

I had the oxtail dinner and i will be coming back to be have it again food was amazing and bartender made me a drink that i usually wouldn't drink but i loved it place is overall great i would recommend to anyone! read more

Well I tried! Ms. Debra F was probably there at the same time because we exchanged pleasantries while we waited. She asked about and ordered the pinto beans. While the restaurant was eerily empty, we barely got seated and waited at least 15 minutes for a server. When there was a clash boom in the kitchen I knew then it was time for me to go. I wished my newly made friend good luck and she replied, her review would be on Yelp, I told her I would be looking for it! I wasted my time but thank God I didn't waste my money!! Do better!! read more

Fresh food takes time and it was worth it. I have never tasted fried chicken like that. We will definitely be back.

Fabulous food, courteous service and great decor. Food selection and quality very good and reasonably priced.

A review from former Mandy's customers and now The Soul Spot customers... We had an expectation of our food order and service being just as good as it was at the Mandy's Bolingbrook location. We now drive a little further... The bar was set high... The Soul Spot did not disappoint. Our visit was good... We even had a pleasant visit with the owner. 1st to go order: Baked Chicken - very good / very tasty Dressing - ok / tasty Mac & Cheese - ok / tasty 2nd to go order: Oxtails - delicious and very tasty Greens - delicious and very tasty Sweet Potatoes - delicious and very tasty Both orders: Received fast and correct Reasonably price Portion size was good Staff: Friendly Welcoming New location: Super nice read more

The food was AMAZING!!! After reading some of the reviews, I was a little skeptical, but I was hungry and looking for some good soul food. I had the fried chicken and catfish with mac n cheese and yams. I was definitely pleased with my food. To top it off, I had the peach cobbler and I was pleasantly pleased. The cobbler had a few chunks of crispy crust inside and I was in heaven (that's my favorite part of the cobbler). On top of all of that, my server James was on top of it. I don't care how good the food is, good customer service means a lot to me and he sealed the deal. He was attentive, humorous, engaging and kept checking on us to make sure we were okay. I never had to ask for a refill. He was on it!!! Thanks James and The Soul Spot for a great experience. I will definitely be back. read more

Yum, the food was so good! We placed our order online and it was ready when we got there- no waiting!

I went there a couple days ago to try them out. I wasn't aware that they were there. Let me tell you this food is like my grandmother and my mother were in the kitchen cooking. It's that good and I got sweet potato pie dessert and brought it home And I got a piece for my son and the next day he was like where did you get that from and can we get some more? The ambience is beautiful they played old school rhythm and blues from the 60s and 70s. It's just got a vibe like you don't wanna leave. I was sitting there eating my pork chop and my dressing with gravy And I'm telling you I didn't wanna leave. I met the owner who is a delightful person and I'm telling you you must try this out. It's at Fox Valley Mall. You go through door one and you'll see it on the left. You won't be sorry. I am on my way to pick up my grandkids and I'm taking them to eat there this evening. See you there. read more

Fried chicken or Catfish had no special soul flavor. Portions are small for the price. Menu has 4 pieces of chicken but we were told it is not offered. read more

Was excited when I found out that Mandy's had a new location, so I stopped in to try it. I unfortunately regret it. The chicken had no flavor, very bland. The greens were straight out of a can! & The cornbread was so dry and the mac&cheese was cold. Unfortunately I will not be returning. There was no love nor soul put into this. They took our criticism well, and even offered to give us something, which was nice. Maybe she was having an off day. Idk but it was just not good at all. read more

Between the fruit flies served with my food and the lack of care in the owners approach to the issue. I will never go back. The server I had was amazing, a sweet young lady named Veronica. The only positive part of my visit here. This place will not last. read more

The food preparation and taste I felt the food I had was simple Mac and cheese know flavor dry the not cheesy needed sharp cheddar or assortment of other cheese, the dressing was very bland didn't taste like dressing and needed sage, celery, spices that make it taste like good soul food, cornbread dressing it lacked taste. It didn't have a soul food taste made with love. I could give it another try and see. Maybe they've gotten better but right now from what I can remember it wasn't good. read more

Yesterday, Saturday afternoon, I went to this restaurant the Soul Spot. When I walked in the restaurant there was a desk or station to the left of me with two women stand behind it. I thought that at least the woman standing closes to me would great me but she didn't, even though she looked at me. So I thought maybe a hostess or waitress will tend to me but that was not the case either. Even though the Hispanic waitress looked at me as she walked out from the kitchen. It awkward standing there being ignored like that. Finally the woman standing behind the desk, the one that was closes to me with the bad wig said, "you can come over here". She said it with such an attitude like she was annoyed with me. I wish I can put into words her negative disposition that she displayed toward me. It was very off-putting. It left me feeling angry too. That's why I had to write this to try to get this bad feeling off my chest. Know for the food. Actually I would not have written about the food If it weren't for that nasty woman. However since I am writing, I may as well tell about the food too. The sweet potatoes were ok, only I did not detect any nutmeg or cinnamon or any flavoring. The mac-n-cheese was the worst. It was completely dried out and with not flavor at all. The dressing with gravy looked promising but It was flavorless also. The catfish tasted ok but it was dried out at both ends and the edges, so those parts was not edible. The ambiance... in a nutshell, was convoluted. I will not go to this place ever again. I will not recommend it to anyone. Even If the food was good I would not go back to a place where I was ill treated. read more

Sadly they are not ready to be open. The food takes an hour to come out. When we sat down they had no silverware. We asked for silverware and they had none clean! So we had our food with nothing to eat it with. We finally asked for plastic forks. We watched several people just leave after their food never came out. They should just be a takeout restaurant. read more

The food was actually pretty good. It's not my first time having it because I used the order from Uber eats when it was Mandy's.... The only issue I had is that the heavyset lady that works the front door, I guess she's the greeter, her attitude is a bit funky. I walked in and one of the women asked me is there a particular place that I would prefer to sit and before I could answer, she chimed in and says ..there's no choosing where she sits.... Right in front of me. I guess there was a party or something there and the other girl told her, well, they are scattered all over the place so we can actually sit her wherever she wants to sit. The greeter was about to say something else rude but the other lady leaned in quietly and told her that she would come back and talk to her about it. Who does that in front of customers? read more

To be fair this review was during their opening in August 2025. Let me know if it has changes since then. When we walked in, there were just about 10 tables with people. The woman at the reception desk just kind of ignored me while she was doing something on her phone. When she is finally done playing on her phone, she walked us over to a table. When we asked to sit at the booth, she said that the booth was not available. The next couple that came were seated at the booth we requested. Also, the other couple were served their water when they first sat down. We have been waiting now for about 20 minutes and still have not received our water. It was about 30 minutes into where we finally had to call somebody over and place our order. We ordered our drinks and they still have not arrived at our table and it's been about 12 minutes after ordering. They have many people walking around that look like wait staff but still are not doing anything. They're just walking around. There are many things wrong with this place even before we received our food. There was a nice older lady who looked like a hostess who came to us to tell us our food be out in a few minutes, I said well we still have not received our drinks yet. About five minutes later, our water and our sodas showed up. The Coke does not taste like Coke. When the food arrived, I had only ordered a single chicken breast, but two were delivered. They charge me for both. I didn't want to argue because that would just lead to more disappointment. I have to say, though the chicken was a nice golden fried and very tasty. The mac & cheese was pretty good and the collard greens were my first time trying so I did not know what to expect. I spoke to the hostess, and she said that this was a soft opening. Overall, the service needs to focus on their customer and management should have been monitoring this. The fried chicken was spectacular. I would though like to come back and try their short rib meal and pot roast, but I don't know if I could deal with the lackadaisical staff. read more

The female greeter/order taker was not very friendly. She tried to charge me more than the menu list price. She told me that the menu price was wrong and the computer price was correct. She even turned the computer around for me to see the incorrect computer price. Wow! I thought that was very bad customer service. I asked why they weren't willing to honor their menu prices. It doesn't matter what the computer charges; what matters is the price that is presented to the customer. I thought the excuses she gave for the price difference were ridiculous. ("the menu needs to be updated", "we've only been open 4 days", "white meat is more", "everybody is paying it", "the extra fee is a tax", and "prices are more now that we're in the mall") They all sound good but need to be reflected in the menu price. She went to get the manager, who immediately came out and corrected the computer price to match the menu price. Then the greeter/order taker went on to tell me that "$1.00 doesn't mean anything to her". I was flabbergasted! Did she just say that to me, a customer? I reminded her that the price difference was more than $1.00. She said that people were still paying it. I just said, "Unh hunh". I wondered why she was still harping on this issue when the manager had already made the correction. As I waited for my order, I noticed gnats flying around. Wow! I was really in trouble with this order, but I kept remembering the food at their previous location. It was good. Then I got my to-go order. When I got home, I started eating the greens. They were pretty bad. It looked like the mac & cheese was homemade, but it was pretty dry and tasteless. My chicken was fresh, but it had way too much seasoning on it. I think the seasoning was paprika. I keep saying that fried chicken doesn't need that much seasoning to be delicious. Just plain salt and pepper will do. Not everyone likes garlic, paprika, and other extra seasonings on their chicken. Ugh! The food was horrible, and so was the service. I've been waiting for this place since May, when they were 1st scheduled to open. I am extremely disappointed and will not be going back. I hope they get better, but right now, they are not worth the trip and being belittled by the greeter/order taker again. read more

Food was horrible!! Service was a lie!! before ordering I asked if the yams was cut or out the can she told me cut but they look and taste like they out the cannn!! Mac n cheese extra dry they short ribs has soooo much fat on it they greens nasty no seasoning hard n taste nothing but black pepper or something the spaghetti was watery meatless less sauce with a chunk of hard cheese in it.. Lets not talk about the corn bread that I fed to my dog that's how horrible it is.. Banana pudding and pie NASTYYY aka Horrible.. Over they also over taxing for that bull shhhh they sellin.. They menu needs some corrections.. I just feel it's to many defaults within that restaurant for it to only have been opened for 4 days read more

Chicken is bland, lady who took my order was a bit rude. Price on the menu says one thing but when checking out it was a higher price. She says well the price in the computer is what we're charging, those must be old menus. I then asked how long was the 4 wing going to take, she said I don't know I have to give them the ticket. There was a Hispanic woman standing next to her and she politely answered and told me around 15 minutes, the Black lady then proceeds to say oh yeah about 15-20 minutes. read more

Is it open now in the mall, anyone dine there? Heat your oven to 400. Make a mixture of Dijon mustard and brown sugar to the degree of spicy-sweetness that pleases you. Salt and pepper the salmon fillets. Place them skin-side down on a lightly oiled, foil-lined baking sheet, slather the tops with the mustard and brown sugar glaze and slide them into the top half of your oven. They ought to be done in 12 minutes or so, and they pair beautifully with simple braised collard greens. read more