Soul & Smoke Evanston
Barbecue restaurant · Evanston
1601 Payne St, Evanston, IL 60201
Highlights
Brisket, ribs, pulled pork, mac & cheese, gumbo
Brisket, ribs, pulled pork, mac & cheese, gumbo
"A barbecue company with multiple locations (Evanston, Avondale, West Loop and a presence at Soldier Field) that rarely uses street vending, opting instead to serve via private events and organized festivals; co-owner Heather Bublick cites the near-impossibility of casually pulling a truck onto the curb due to parking rules and regulatory hurdles." - Ximena N. Beltran Quan Kiu
"An Evanston flagship from the team behind Feast & Imbibe and a popular food truck, this century-old barn at 1601 Payne Street has been transformed into a community-focused barbecue restaurant that emphasizes Chicago-style smoked meats blending Texas, Memphis, and other regional influences. Founders Heather Bublick and D’Andre Carter combine fine-dining experience and pitmaster expertise—Carter smokes with hickory and cherry in twin A.N. Bewley flat smokers (about 800 lb capacity each)—to serve celebrated items like brisket, ribs, and rib tips (one critic called the brisket “the best I’ve tried outside of Texas”). The menu will also showcase creative specials—a Moto Cigar–inspired dish that uses smoked chicken wrapped in collard greens with sesame-seed “ashes,” a snap pea salad with smoked barley and smoked duck confit, and Mibrasa-charcoal–roasted lamb chops, fish, and a T-bone steak the team hopes will be the best on the North Shore. Beverage offerings, curated by a former sommelier, include playful canned wines, beers (including a collaboration with Sketchbook Brewing), draft cocktails, and nonalcoholic slushies for kids; sauces are sold online and at Mariano’s. Emphasizing local hiring, youth mentorship, high-quality sourcing, and honoring the building’s Black-owned-business and desegregation legacy, the restaurant will use a hybrid service model (counter service, QR codes, and wait staff) and planned to open in late June or early July." - Ashok Selvam
"A Chicago barbecue vendor listed as part of the city contingent returning to the festival, contributing to the hometown representation of smoked-meat styles." - Ashok Selvam
"The acclaimed barbecue restaurant offers an a la carte menu for pickup on Wednesday, November 27 in Evanston, Avondale, and West Loop. Choose from a wide array of entrees including herb-roasted or Cajun-smoked turkey breast, roasted ham with ginger chutney, and braised duck quarters, flanked by sides like green bean casserole, mac and cheese, candied yams, and much more. Orders can be placed through Tock." - Eater Staff
"Chef D’Andre Carter has made a big splash in Chicago with his rich, smokey barbecue and soul food like shrimp and grits, earning a sizable following that’s spawned virtual outposts and a food hall stall. Now ranked among the area’s top barbecue contenders, Soul & Smoke actually originated in Evanston and patrons can still snag pickup orders from the operation’s out-of-the-way home base. The brisket is world class and a full restaurant is in the works. An expansion is in the works." - Naomi Waxman, Samantha Nelson
