Absolutely phenomenal you must eat here! It’s definitely worth the wait you will not be disappointed ❤️? went on a weekend date was pleasantly surprised we love soul food ..this is the true definition of it. Travis was a wonderful server always recommending good stuff & such a good sense of humor he has! The beignets are chefs kiss, I will continue to come back &eventually try everything on the menu. They also have a lovely vintage record player playing music ?
This is hands down the most amazing Mac and cheese on the planet. I'm not exaggerating. There isn't even a close second anywhere. The rest of the food was great too. You can't go here without trying the fried green tomatoes.
Food was super delicious. The restaurant has a real southern feel. There were nice size portions...I had another meal from leftovers. Can't wait to go back and try their Shrimp & Grits and Chicken Gumbo.
Darnell Reed, the chef/owner of Luella's Southern Kitchen in Chicago's Lincoln Square neighborhood, has good bloodlines. Luella was his great grandmother, a woman who honed her southern cooking skills where people appreciated grits and shrimp and fried chicken and biscuits and collard greens and gumbo and cornbread and beignets. Located at 4609 North Lincoln Avenue, at Wilson, in Ravenswood, it is open fro 5 to 9 Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and 10 to 3 and 5 to 9 on Saturday and Sunday. Start with traditional southern favorites, buttermilk biscuits with home-made jam and skilled cornbread with honey butter. For entrees, we chose New Orleans BBQ shrimp and cream cheese grits and buttermilk fried chicken with smoked honey and braised collard greens. For dessert, we opted for something new, beignets, fried dough pillow with a generous dusting of confectioner's sugar. A visit to Luella's is like a visit to Spuddy's or Buddy B's or Wayne Jacob's Smokehouse or Grapevine Cafe on Louisiana's River Road.
Being from Mississippi, but living up north for 18 years it is hard to give credit to soul food places as I have not had any REAL soul food up north other than from my own kitchen. BUT I have come to say this place has the best soul food I’ve had up north. The greens were delicious. I’ve read reviews that they need more seasoning. It’s a restaurant can’t please everyone’s taste buds just like my kitchen at home. Some will say it needs more seasoning and some will say it’s too salty. These were good greens. The cornbread was great. The chicken was everything. All the gumbo needed was shrimp and crab to make my day. It was good with just chicken and sausage though. Glad we stopped in for dinner. We would definitely go back when in Chicago.The QR code was a first for me but if you placed the ordered and it’s messed up it’s on you. No exchange of money. All done through the QR code. I think it’s brilliant.#supportblackownedbusinesses
Overall a good experience for chicken and grits, but would caution people against the Nashville style chicken.Pros-Food was made for each order and not precooked - kudos!Great fried chickenGrits were authenticGood serviceCons-Greens were little bland for my taste…salt and pepper would have helped. But my wife like the greens…Nashville Chicken was disappointing since it was not the true Nashville style…they used sauce. Recommend getting regular fired chick with sauce on the side.
Totally worth the hype and the wait. The food was on point. Nashville chicken is not as hot as in Nashville but it is still flavor packed.Classics done well!
FOOD WAS DELICIOUSLY FLAVORFUL! A bonafide meal for sure! We ordered shrimp and grits, Nashville chicken and waffles, chicken gumbo, mac and cheese, and collard greens. I regret not getting the cornbread. Generous portion size for price, and great customer service. We went for dinner on a Sunday evening, restaurant was moderately packed. Tables were spaced out perfectly. I plan on returning for a second and maybe a third time visit! 5 stars!!
I tried the shrimp and grits, ordered the buttermilk fried chicken and collard greens. The grits are were delicious and are of a different consistency. More like rice then grits. The other dishes were okay. The greens could have used a bit more seasoning. Don't come expecting your meal in 5-10 minutes. They are actually cooking it from scratch. Service is not bad.
Both Northsiders and Southsiders can agree that Luella’s fried chicken is great. Take advantage of restaurant week and try the Luella’s smothered fried chicken and gumbo.They pour it over the dish so it stays crispy and saucy. The gumbo is glossy and hearty with each spoonful. The banana pudding is utterly a deliciously decadent way to end the meal.