Army & Lou's Restaurant

The food taste processed. The prices are too high. And the service needs a lot to be desired. it just does not seem to be a friendly place. more

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 more

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 more

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

You'll get more for your $$--delicious made-to-order home cookin' with fresh ingredients is what I expect whenever dining out at comfort/soul food establishment. And that's what you'll get. The surprise is that the place is 60 years old! So I suppose they're experts in soul food cuisine. Recently I noticed a change in service for the better. You'll get seated/waited on much faster. On Fridays great jazz band & restaurant is fam. friendly but in evenings it takes on a romantic feel. Still can't get taste of tangy ribs & delicious fried chicken outta my mind, so I'm there about 2x per week. And now 1st Sundays of the month they feature a buffet too good to be true with all the delicious specialties laid out so you can find out which one you like best. I highly recommend it. Also serves as a good lesson in rich African history/art. Pros: friday music, sunday buffett, made to order Cons: closed tuesdays more

This Southside institution provides high quality food at a reasonable price. African-American themed art covers the walls of this lively neighborhood restaurant. Large portions of tangy ribs and juicy chicken accompanied by outstanding sides will relieve you of the worst hunger pains and food to spare. Pros: Atmosphere, Price, Food more

Last nite I had another itch for soul food and thought I'd go back and revisit Army's--that's what we refer to it in the hood. I haven't been there since last summer. I was pleasantly surprised at how fast I was seated and attended to during my short wait. The place was as beautiful and ""clean"" as ever--somehting that makes eating out a better experience I have found. The food was hot and delicious. I had a massive plate of greens with smoked turkey and homemade corn muffins topped it off with sweet potatoe pie for dessert. Army takes a bit of patience as they food is prepared to order. I would recommend it to everyone. Pros: Deco / African Art, Clean, Quality Food more

I have been to this restaurant 3 times. The first time (~10 yrs ago) was great! The last 2 times (6/20/02) was very bad. The food was not good and the service was even worse. We arrived around 8 pm. The waitress informed us that we could ""eat but not to take too long."" The place closes at 10 pm. The waitress clearly was not interested in making her customers satisfied. My order of mixed greens appeared to be a bit on the 'tainted' side. Sauce on my friend's shrimp also appeared ""old"", as if it had been made 12 hrs earlier. This place is living on its past. I will never go back again. Pros: soul food, inexpensive Cons: service, food more

A great place to take guests from outside the 'hood. The black art paintings on the wall made it like visiting a gallery. Great experience. Everything about the place is good, except the service. Sometimes good; sometimes, not. Unreliable at best. Pros: great artwork decor, good food, Sunday buffet Cons: unreliable service more