Phoenix Welcomes Chicago Soul Food Restaurant

A soul food restaurant is opening in downtown Phoenix.Photo byBrett WhartononUnsplash

Food styles change and evolve. Spices are brought from one continent to another. New ingredients are introduced and a new style of food is born. Then, people move to another corner of the globe, bringing the new food style with them and it changes again. Food will continue to evolve, which only makes it that much more exciting. Soul food originally started in the Southeastern United States, but as people moved out of the Deep South they took their cooking methods with them, settling in various cities around the country, including Chicago. And now, a Chicago-style soul food restaurant is opening in the heart of Phoenix. 

Chicago’s Big Bacon might be opening its first official brick-and-mortar location in Phoenix, but it’s not new to the Valley. Visitors to the Tempe Food Court have been able to sample a selection of the food offered in the small space. However, as demand for the Chicago soul food grew, so too did the need to find a new space that could handle hungry patrons. All of that has led to this moment. The opening of Chicago’s Big Bacon in downtown Phoenix. 

The restaurant will open at 719 East Roosevelt, which is right at the intersection of Roosevelt Street and 7th Street. This will be across the street from the current Chick-fil-A. While there is no official word yet as to when the restaurant will open, soon you will be able to stop by and sample some of the unique food offerings not available in other areas of metro Phoenix. 

Hungry for chicken? The menu features baked, jerked, fried, and stuffed chicken. If you’d rather have beef or pork, Chicago’s Big Bacon features a beef pot roast, ribeye steak, stuffed jerk burgers with fries, pork chops, (fried or baked), a fried pork chop sandwich with fries, and lollipop lamb chops.

The seafood selection especially took the twisted road from Jamaica and Louisiana to Chicago before coming to Arizona. Selections include lemon butter salmon, stuffed salmon, jerk salmon, shrimp (fried or sauteed), catfish, fried king crab legs, and four-ounce lobster tails.

Of course, what would some soul food be without sides? The side game at Big Bacon is flush with all kinds of options, including garlic mashed potatoes, macaroni and cheese, white rice, seafood rice, string beans, corn on the cob, french fries, broccoli, Brussel sprouts (plain or with bacon bits), and asparagus (plain or wrapped in bacon)