10/17/08

Family Friendly, Down Home Cookin'

by LAmiss

My family and I were visiting Chicago (by way of L.A. and Denver)...some of us for the first time. We wanted to make the trip special as we were celebrating my Mom's 70th Birthday. A Soul Food restuarant was a must-do activity for us. A friend recommended Army & Lou's and it did not disappoint! The service and atmosphere were friendly and welcoming and the food...Oh my! We were stuffed when we left, but oh so happy. I had the smothered chicken, mom had the catfish, one cousin had the turkey and gravey and the other had the fried seafood plate. We all loved our meals and the sides were divine! I have to mention the cornbread muffins too! They were so good, I had to take a few home (to the hotel)! We were so full that we had to skip dessert (that never happens!). Army & Lou's is a must-go spot in Chicago if you are looking for real down home, stick to your ribs, I can barely move, but it was so worth it soul food!

• Pros: The food and service!
• Cons: decor

07/02/08

Worth a visit

by djchitown

My family and I were a little apprehensive about driving to this restaurant on the south side of Chicago. We were not familiar with the area and thought that it may not be a safe place to visit. But with our doors locked we ventured from our suburban home so that our kids could taste some soul food. Well, we were surprise that the neighborhood was clean and we felt safe parking in the lot. Once inside we were impressed by the cleanliness of the restaurant (most soul food restaurants look like greasy spoons). The owner Dolores was very nice and made sure that we were well-taken care of. The food was delicious and the staff was extremely friendly - actually even the other diners were nice. Warning: if you go here once you will definitely want to venture back there.

• Pros: Nice clean place to dine; mature customers and wait-staff
• Cons: parking lot is small, but there is plenty of street parking as well

02/19/08

Good Gumbo. SLOW service!

by misslouisiananative

The gumbo here was excellent and authentic tasting, and the fried chicken was nice and juicy. The fried catfish did taste slighty gamey and was sliced a little too thick, but was okay. The cornbread dressing was okay and the mashed potatoes could have had a little more salt or butter to jazz it up. The homemade bread rolls were good, but the cornbread muffins lacked flavor. The macaroni and cheese were slightly bland, but the spaghetti was decent. The service, although polite, was very, very slow. No one came to refill our drinks, ever! I had to request to get more to drink after the check was paid for because I was sooooo thirsty. I had to keep requesting the bread rolls that I should have gotten at the beginning. I didn't get them until my peach cobbler dessert came out, which I kept having to ask for, too. The crust on the peach cobbler was okay (although it could have cooked longer to gain a better crusty flavor). The peaches in the cobbler seemed liked they came straight out of a can and had too much liquid and did not taste as if they were cooked.

There is not the greatest ventilation, so be prepared to leave smelling like all of the food that was cooked at the restaurant.

• Pros: Good gumbo, bread, and fried chicken
• Cons: SLOW SERVICE, small side orders, leave smelling like food