Soul Prime

Soul Prime Gives Lincoln Park Its Only Soul Food Spot | Eater Chicago

"Located at the corner of Armitage Avenue and Halsted Street in Lincoln Park, this soul food restaurant opened after Williams signed the lease on March 15, 2023 and spent two months renovating the former Taco Bar space to debut in time for Mother’s Day. A veteran restaurateur who closed Kiss My Dish after a 2019 stroke, Williams built a menu featuring fried chicken, fried catfish, lobster, a collard green dip, and peach lemonade—dishes that TikTok reviewer Keith Lee praised in a September 2023 video, swooning over the collard green dip, fried chicken dipped in hot honey sauce, and peach lemonade and even matching the day's sales by ringing her up for $2,200. Despite the viral boost (the video has roughly 9 million views, 1.2 million likes, and over 23,000 comments), she initially struggled with a monthly rent of $14,338.51, daily sales under $1,000, no loans or grants, and limited marketing, and she has had to contend with being the neighborhood’s only soul food restaurant in a predominantly white, high-income area that hasn’t always embraced her cuisine; she remains hopeful that the attention and returning patrons will help her break that barrier." - Ximena N. Beltran Quan Kiu