Big Jones - Southern restaurant (US) in Chicago - 5347 N Clark St, USA

I loved the food and drinks I had at Big Jones. The restaurant isn’t huge but for my friend and I it was just fine. We didn’t make a reservation but the staff was very nice about it and seated us right away despite it being a Friday. The food did take a while but it was so worth it. I got the half chicken white meat meal with the greens. I wasn’t a fan of the greens at all, not your traditional greens and I also didn’t feel like it had much seasoning. But the fried chicken was amazing. So juicy and well seasoned. It went so well with the gravy they had. Like, amazing gravy. But what really set this meal to impress me was the jerk hot sauce. Next time I go, I have to buy a bottle. The mac and cheese was also pretty good. Well seasoned and not too cheesy but not too dry either. I liked the biscuit, but it was a little dry. The drinks were amazing, especially the lavender one! Will be back!

We sat in the back patio which was much quieter than the inside. The inside was nicely decorated and ambient but if you’d like to have a more quiet experience I would suggest the patio. The food was decent although I think I expected more. The best dish was the salmon salad. Although for $26 it might scare u away. I would skip the boudin balls. They were just alright. The fried chicken and cheesy grits were very good though, so I’d suggest ordering that. Wish the cocktail menu was a little more extensive as well. Overall, glad I tried it but not sure I’ll be back.

Best beignets outside of New Orleans, good strong creole coffee, and very flavorful thick cut applewood bacon! Everything was well prepared but not enough seasoning. Gratefully the pickled peach hotsauce packs on the missing flavor without bringing the heat. Definitely skip the biscuits though, not nearly enough butter used. Service was sufficient, the ambience is nice and we enjoyed the jazz and rock and roll music selections.

Amazing food. Super clean restaurant with giant windows. Fantastic and friendly staff. Delis food with incredibly filling portions.

The Hostess was very polite and nice. Crayfish cakes, fried chicken and the turnip greens were amazing. Apple pie, breezy peezy, corn bread,biscuits and gravy were not good. Catfish was cooked well just needed seasoning. Hot sauce helped with that.

1st time visit, now a lifetime customer I will be back. Food was great, atmosphere perfect, mood just right, service onetime.

Really good Southern food. House made hot sauces were a great addition. The overall experience would have been better if the service was a bit more attentive

I have been a fan of Big Jones for probably 8-9 years now. I am firm in the belief that their fried chicken is top of the list in Chicago, if not further reaching. I’m SO glad I made a trip for brunch for the first time. I had a coffee and the simple southern breakfast with sausage. The scrambled eggs were cooked perfectly. I mean perfectly, that could have been the star alone. The second star of the plate were the hash browns, which many places fail to cook properly. These were maybe 1/3 of an inch thick and perfectly cooked all the way through with crisp outside and soft inside with little bits of fresh jalapeño that added just the right amount of heat. My dining partner had the fried chicken and said it’s the best they’ve ever had also. The turnip greens that they opted for with their chicken they thankfully let me try a bite of and oh my goodness they are some of the best greens I’ve had outside of Memphis. Again, just a touch of heat and with the nice softness you get from cooking a somewhat tough green low and slow. Can’t wait to come back again in 2024! Thank you Big Jones for a lovely brunch time outing.