If you love southern comfort food and you’re in the Midwest like me, then you might just find yourself in the Chicago suburbs looking up the term “soul food restaurant close to me” on a pretty regular basis. The suburbs of Chicago are home to a diverse and thriving food scene, this includes several of the best soul food restaurants in Chicagoland. As a black American, I have grown to love the food that my grandparents would make for me as I was growing up. Some of my favorites are baked macaroni and cheese, oxtail, cornbread dressing and mustard and turnip greens. Since I am pretty picky about food so deeply rooted in African American culture, I’ve added some suggestions from others to mine in order to put this article together for you.

One of my favorite suburban restaurants on this list is Priscilla’s Ultimate Soulfood in Hillside, IL. In my opinion it is a must-visit among soul food restaurants in the Chicago suburbs. Their menu has daily features alongside some of their staples. A couple of my favorite featured items that aren’t available everyday are their Oxtails with gravy and their short ribs.

We’ve tasted around the Chicago suburbs to bring you the ultimate guide for where to eat some of the best soul food in the suburbs. Our list is heavy on traditional family-owned establishments inclusive of recommendations made by our social media community.