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Categories: Southern, Breakfast & Brunch
Neighborhoods: Edgewater, AndersonvilleMon-Fri. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sat. 9:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
Sun. 9:00 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
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Delicious, delicious, delicious!
We were headed for sushi in Andersonville, but in typical foodie fashion, we happened to read every menu on the windows as we walked by and this place managed to completely change our direction and draw us in.
So here's what we ate:
Fried green tomatoes with homemade remoulade and pickled shrimp, fresh cornbread with honey butter, pulled pork sandwich, and shrimp & cheese grits.
Most everything was amazing, especially the cornbread - hello, this is me, the girl who doesn't even LIKE cornbread, but this stuff was good. It didn't have that faux-sweet flavor and let the honey butter take care of the sweetness as it melted into the piping hot disc-shaped hunks of bread. Mmm. The fried green tomatoes were also excellent to the point where I'd be hard pressed to come here and NOT eat them. The cocktails were of that interesting "Violet Hour" variety where it's not what you see on most menus, which in my mind is a plus. I mostly drank sweet tea though, which is awesome stuff.
The one criticism is, unfortunately, the pulled pork. It didn't really have that signature smoky flavor. But everything else was spot-on.
My advice is to go here when your stomach is growling and you absolutely need to eat becuase I left feeling HEAVY. That was a lot of butter, fried stuff, and syrup (sweet tea). Note that this is by no means a criticism of anything but my unpreparedness to go in and eat such rich stuff.
Trust me, next time I'll prepare as necessary - it's worth it!
To make a long story short, I pretty much liked everything they put in front of me.
Drinks:
-- Death of St. Germain (Gin, St Germain, Curacao & lemon)
Food:
-- Bread service was delish....piping hot corncakes & honey butter.
-- Pork Belly with little pancakes...this dish was like breakfast. Bacon + mini pancakes, um YES! :)
-- Beet salad was great. The cheese provided a nice balance...plus I can now say I like like beets (as long as it's served with cheese).
-- Gumbo. I don't think I've ever had it before, but I did like it. I was expecting it to be really spicy, but it wasn't too bad.
-- Pulled pork shoulder sandwich with fried okra. Eh, it was alright. The slaw was disappointing--where was the flavor?
-- Take a pass on the bread pudding and request more corn cakes and honey butter!
Also note: Make a reservation (they are on Opentable).
If you're over 5'2", don't sit at the bar. It's like sitting in a cramped airplane.
Dress in layers, as it was uncomfortably warm in the restaurant.
Really surprised about this place. Very easy to miss as it has a very small store front.
Once walking in, it had a very nice feel to it. Very welcoming. Never been to this place, we had no idea what to expect. We didn't even know it was southern/cajun style.
We started the experience with frogs legs and their complementary cornbread. Quite tasty. Then we ordered the shrimp on a bed of grits and 1/2 roasted chicken on a bed of grits as well. Overall, we liked our choices. Over waitress was overly attentive which is what I like. Not too annoying but definitely let us know we would be taken care of for the evening. I hope to go back soon to try other options from the menu.
Shame on me for assuming that I wouldn't need a reservation at 6:30 on a Saturday evening. I was really kicking myself for this, my second bonehead error of the evening (after getting off LSD at Foster instead of Bryn Mawr). This lapse doomed my date and I to seats at the bar, which is usually fine with me, although not my preference. However, we are both long-legged and found the bar to be too shallow to sit comfortably. In fact, for me, it nearly ruined the entire meal. Even turning at a 45-degree angle was not enough to mitigate the pain in my knee and my poor cramped legs.
But let's forget all that--the food was great. We shared the pork belly appetizer, served with little johnnycakes, a plum ketchup, and some cabbage. The other elements complimented it well, but the pork belly was the star of that plate.
Next we shared the gumbo and the beet salad. I found the gumbo tasty but a bit pedestrian. It's maybe a notch above Zatarin's but could be a lot jazzier. The beet salad was very good but then again, I am a total beet slut. (This was my third beet salad in eight days!) I especially enjoyed the whipped fromage blanc; with the few chicory greens and brown croutons, all the elements complimented very well.
Did I mention that instead of boring ol' French bread they serve three piping hot fresh corncakes with honey butter? Honestly, I enjoyed all the food, but those were the best things that I ate all night. Each a little smaller than a hockey puck, three seems like a generous portion. There is real corn baked in there too. Delicious.
We next moved on to the pork shoulder, which came in sandwich form with a boring slaw and a pile of tasty but salty fried okra. I really liked the sandwich but the slaw added nothing but a bit of texture. The meat was a little fatty, and by that time of the meal I was trying to economize stomach space. So we left a bit uneaten, but not for lack of trying.
Dessert? Well, the menu listed a bread pudding, and that's another item that I covet. I'm sorry to say that this dessert did not live up to the rest of the food. It was worth trying but fairly average.
Too bad about the bar seats because we didn't get fully to enjoy the simple and handsome decor; I especially liked the iron (or faux-iron?) chandeliers. The bartender Jackie was pleasant, but she seemed overworked. There was a high demand for drinks for the floor, which left her little time or attention to spend on us six poor diners at the bar. But if I had just made a reservation, it wouldn't have come to that.
This place rocks. First off the drinks. The Charleston Mule and Death of St. Germaine were fantastic. Autumn Sangria was so-so. For first courses we got the soup potion gumbo which was huge and spiced just right and the porkbelly-johnny cakes which were nice. Wife went with the pork chop with this amazing sweet potato hash with huge pieces of bacon in it. Loved it. I opted for shrimp and grits which were nice. We decided on the bread pudding for desert which was the only thing that fell flat.
Great service, nice atmosphere, definitely will be back.
If you're planning to start a diet tomorrow, go to Big Jones today and order everything on the menu. Starting with the drinks, I had a Charleston Mule-- which combines Ginger Beer and Firefly Vodka with lime and soda. Yum! It's a nice summer time drink (one that I won't turn down in fall either).
We ordered pork belly with corn cakes for our appetizer. It was awesome-- it pretty much was like the best bacon and pancakes I've ever had. I had the shrimp and grits for my entree: cheesy and delicious, but not too rich. A perfect combo. My uncle had the sweet tea pork chops and was equally pleased.
If I can give you one suggestion when going here: save room for dessert. Even if the drinks, entrees, and service hadn't been great, he desserts were so fantastic, it would be hard not to give Big Jones five stars.
We ordered the Mississippi Mud Pie and the Red Velvet Cake. Both are delicious. The mud pie is so rich and gooey, and the cream cheese semi fredo that accompanies the red velvet cake is like nothing I've ever tried. I've been dreaming about both since we went here.
I love that their focus is local/sustainable food and they do a great job with it. I'll definitely be back!
my gf reports they had dry turducken and bitter brussel sprouts on TG. inexcusable. complete disgrace. any kitchen that doesn't take care to ensure their meat is cooked properly should be promptly put out of business!!!!!!!!!!!
At first after being told they had run out of peaches and I couldn't have a peach bellini I was going to go with a mimosa. Then they brought out my boyfriend's huge steaming hot coffee. Yum, intelligentsia coffee is the way to my heart and thank you Big Jones for saving me from an afternoon drunk,
I had the Carolina pulled pork sandwich with chow-chow slaw on it. It was exactly what I had been hoping it would be. A little soggy because I wasn't on the ball and ate my salad first but still totally delicious. My boyfriend had the Eggs New Orleans and this was better than any eggs my aunt in New Orleans has ever made for me. Maybe because she pours a whole jar of tabasco sauce on everything. Big Jones did it right. The crab was really yummy and the béarnaise sauce was excellent.
My only regret is that we were too full to order anything more. There are many things on that menu I will need to try.
As a native Louisianian, I have impossibly high standards for Southern restaurants located outside of the South. I'm always eager to support them, though, and I make my best efforts to go into the experience with an open mind.
I should also mention that I tried Big Jones for dinner, so I haven't been there during brunch, which is apparently really popular and delicious.
Regardless, Big Jones serves up a nice helping of the familiar for the homesick Southerner, from the fried green tomatoes on the menu to the Jazzfest poster in the ladies' room. While it may not have quite achieved the lofty heights of my expectations, I was still pleased with the experience overall.
Highlights:
- delectable corn bread biscuits. I'm mad at myself for forgetting to ask for the recipe.
- small plate options as well as higher-priced entrées.
- pork belly.
- relatively quiet, intimate atmosphere.
- they take reservations (even for brunch, apparently).
Misses:
- a Sazerac served in a martini glass. Huh? Invest in some old-fashioned glasses!
- gumbo so dark and thick, you could slice it with a knife.
Now I'll just have to come back for brunch. How else will I steal the corn bread recipe?
OK, so we've been to Big Jones on three consecutive Saturdays for brunch. The food is unbelievably freaking good.
The cuisine is "coastal southern" which works out to lots of hearty southern fare with a more than your usual mix of seafood, crabcakes, etc. This isn't diner food -- while brunch is clearly a great idea, it's up a notch from the Golden Nugget. The food is, without question, among my favorites in Chicago. It's also locally and sustainably sourced, which is rad.
Things I like there: they do a biscuits and gravy that is so complicated you feel like that traditional white gravy was somehow cheating you. It's a redeye gravy over sweet potato biscuits, and comes with a big pile of southern greens and andoulle sausage. Mwah!
The Eggs New Orleans is also ridiculously good. Poached eggs over crab cakes over hash brown potatoes. So money.
There's other things to like about Big Jones -- wait staff is friendly and prompt, decor is interesting, drink list is complicated and good (a Bloody Mary is thick with actual spices and veggies, not pulped mixer). But mostly, it's the food. The glorious food.
I never have a problem getting seated right away, and at $10-15 for most of the good stuff, it's a steal. We did brunch for two with coffee, ticket was under $30.
All I can say is- wow. I can't believe I haven't tried this restaurant! The food is really amazing. I love the ambiance and the lighting, it gives the place a warm feeling.
They serve you a complimentary bread coated with powdered sugar, I guess you can call that a donut =) I ordered the Eggs New Orleans which is a lump crab cake on a type of bread "popover", poached eggs,béarnaise sauce.....Heaven. You could really taste the crab and it was delicious.
The only reason why I gave a 4 star instead of 5 is the service was a bit slow. There weren't a lot of people so you would think you would get your food quicker right? but I am not complaining because all that wait was well worth it. The price is kinda pricy for breakfast-2 entree, a cup of coffee and a glass of freshly squeezed oj totaled to around $55! I guess you do pay for what you get-fresh food! MMmmm
Big Jones,
Just want to commend you for WONDERFUL SERVICE! Went back for some brunch last week Wednesday and I don't remember our kick-ass waiters name but would like you to know that he was fantastic!
He made our visit delightful! Keep giving wonderful service and great cafe. Food was even better then the 1st time.
Thanks Big Jones
I'm such a breakfast person. Doesn't matter what time of the day it is. I love me some breakfast.… Read more »
Two reviews for Southern places in two days, and both of them get 5 stars! My Pa would be happier than a piglet sleeping under the shade of a magnolia tree.
I reviewed Wishbone (aka the best place for Sunday brunch ever) yesterday; Big Jones has a similar feel to much of their menu, but it's just more upscale. And it is absolutely delicious!
I went there for dinner two weeks ago; I started with an amazing spicy corn chowder. It was velvety, smooth and full of complex yet subtle flavors. It was better than the smell of dew drops on a honeysuckle blossom in the warm Savannah Sun.
My entree was the Catfish Pecan, which was more victorious than the Union soldiers at Gettysburg! It was perfectly balanced between the flavor of the fish, the pecans and the mustard; it was a great savory and sweet combination.
And please do not go here and simply order wine with your meal! You must order a specialty cocktail! I had the Carolina Julep, which is, "Firefly Sweet Tea Infused Vodka, Lemon, Cane Syrup, Mint, Club Soda." It is the amazingly refreshing and sweet and just perfect for sipping on as you watch the lazy Mississippi River drift by you.
The enviroment is very relaxing, quiet and simple. The staff (at least our waitress) couldn't be cuter and sweeter.
Even though I have lived in Chicago my whole life, my dad is Southern and has really bestowed upon me appreciation for good Souther cuisine. Big Jones has it, and you would be quite the fool to not experience it for yourself!
My husband and I have been meaning to try this place since it opened-and I'm glad that we finally did! We loved the charming, southern feel to the place (almost a brighter and well lit Violet Hour) as a backdrop to the comfort food. Our waiter was excellent, provided just the right amount of detail on the menu and gave great recommendations. We started with the crab cakes for an appetizer and they were small yet wonderful, they had the perfect crunch. My husband had the shrimp and grits and I had the pork chop. I'm not a fan of grits, but my husband thought they were fantastic. The pork chop dish? WOW! The sweet potato hash combined with the baked bean puree was out of this world.
The food isn't the healthiest around, but the portions are pretty small so I didn't feel too bad indulging! Worth a trip up to Andersonville! Giving it four instead of five because I didn't like the cornbread, a southern comfort food place should have killer cornbread.
Big Jones is very good for a date. The atmosphere is very simple, but clean and modern. The server we had was very well-informed about the menu and was able to give a lot of detail about each dish we asked about. Jeffrey had the pecan catfish that he said was very good. I had shrimp and grits, also very tasty. I chose this place because it advertises as Southern, which the menu is Southern-modern. This isn't the place to get a heapin' pile of Ma's vittles, the presentation is very pretty. If you go, take the time to order one of the cocktails, strong and yummy!
This place was super for brunch. We had about a 30 minute wait, but it was well worth it. Staff was friendly and professional. There were about a zillion things I could have ordered, but I went with the eggs new orleans and ate everything on my plate. My husband ate the pulled pork with grits...which were equally as enjoyable. I will be back for sure!
Big cups of coffee and little beignets greet you here in this hotel lobby southern resturant. By far the best butter grits I've had since leaving the south. I also had the fried catfish which was wonderful and tasty with the grits and eggs. I think this place is the #1 brunch spot in Andersonville. All my friends liked it too. They take reservations and don't seem to have the same sort of crazy wait that other brunch places have. This civilization seems refined beyond compare. I also had some of the best gumbo with rice: so tasty with cut chives and cajun spice and sausage.
Great brunch. BIG portions. I had a big plate of eggs, cheese grits, greens, and a huge piece of perfectly flavorful ham. She had the s'mores french toast...well, half of it. The other half came home with us and became dessert after dinner. We also had complimentary beignets and a couple of really good bloody marys.
The staff is great, if not slightly rushed during brunch - very friendly nonetheless.
Next, dinner.
Great food, good service worth the trip and expense!
The ambiance is wonderfully lush with Louisiana style backdrops and well balanced in their use of whites and colors to give the place an authentic look.
That being said, the food, the flavor, the overall experience was just divine. Service was prompt and extremely helpful.
While the service was great and the food lived up to it promise of authentic creole cuisine.
the gumbo ya-ya itself had a borderline dark-burnt roux which gave the dish a unique positive flavor. i just wish they didnt burn my andouille sausage in the process.
top it off with a wonderful ice cream desert i forgot what it's called but it had ginger ice cream, peach sauce and a bunch of other delicious goodies.
Went there for brunch on a Saturday. It was around 1pm so we got seated right away. There's a lot on the menu and everything looks good.
The coffee came with 3 beignets. They were a little cold and chewy but still tasty.
We ordered Eggs New Orleans. The eggs were perfectly poached. The crab cakes under the eggs were delicious. The popover was a little stale if I have to be picky. We also ordered the buckwheat banana almond pancakes. They were perfect fluffy with crunchy almond slices and caramel all over.
It's a little more expensive than other brunch places, but they give you a lot of food. Can't wait to go back.
Big Jones was a treat. We went for lunch and were the first guests to arrive. By the time we'd finished a tart and smoky fried green tomato and bacon sandwich and a steaming bowl of hearty mushroom etoufee the place was definitely filling up.
The service was like the service I've had at some of my favorite places in New Orleans, not too fast, not too slow, backed by a bright smile and strong opinions about what you should order. Our server talked me into a side of fried okra that was among the best I'd ever had.
My fiance loved the decor which had a great down home vibe, but I thought it seemed a bit unfinished, with no art or other personal touches.
Overall, we loved it and will be back to try dinner and brunch.
The food and beverage are very good. But that's not what this review is about. I give this restaurant 5 stars based on service alone. The staff are the perfect blend of friendly, genuine, attentive, and polite without being over the top. I could gush over Andrew (our usual server) forever. He is the server by which I compare all others. I always have a very pleasant experience at Big Jones.
What can I say? I haven't had a meal that was this good in a really long time. I was so happy with my food and service the first time on a Sunday, that I went back with a friend on Wednesday of the same week.
I met up with a friend on Sunday to catch up on the past week. We decided to go here on a whim because our original place was closed. Thank God. I don't know if I ever would have gone here otherwise. I didn't even know about it! I feel like I've been missing out all this time. Anyway, when I saw that it was a cajun/creole place, I immediately had a taste for Jambalaya. We got there just before 3, which is when they usually switch from brunch to dinner on Sundays. However, Mark, one of the owners told me that they had a crazy brunch and were running a little behind. I asked if they had jambalaya and he said he would go back to the kitchen and see if they were ready to make it. He came back and told me no problem. I didn't see it on the brunch menu, but I figured it was on the dinner menu. Either way, it was delicious and Mark was so incredibly nice. Our server was a little flaky, but she was nice and let my friend and I catch up and we took our time with our Linner (lunch/dinner :P). I had my leftovers for lunch the next day and they were just as good.
I told another friend about how good the jambalaya was, and she said she'd been wanting to check them out, so I figured, why not? When I got there, I looked at the menu for the jambalaya just to see how they described it, and it wasn't on the dinner menu either! I asked our server about it, and she said, "Oh we always have a pot of jambalaya in the back". I ordered something that wasn't even on the menu, and I had no idea! And they didn't say a thing to me about it. I felt so bad! Especially since they didn't make a big deal about me ordering it at all. That in itself is reason for me to go back.
But back to my Wednesday meal. They had daquiris on special for $5 each, and they had a ton of different flavors. I figured since I couldn't decide between two, I'd get both flavors. I went with the Key Lime first, and I was about half way through it, and I already felt drunk, so there was no way I'd be getting a second one. $5 for such a stiff drink?! I really can't say enough good things about this place. I ended up ordering the Reezy-Peezy, which I had no idea what it really was, but it was so different from anything I'd had, but it was so amazingly good. Oh yeah, and we had the crab cakes as an appetizer, and those were also so delicious. My friend got the shrimp and grits, and there were so many good flavors in her dish too. She got the Red Velvet Cake (which was baked to order) and I got the Mississippi Mud Pie. I really like to bake, so I'm generally disappointed with desserts at restaurants when they make something I know I could do just as well at home. Big Jones had not disappointed me all night, and did not do so with dessert either! The bartender (I think she was another owner or manager) came and talked to us and I told her how impressed I was with everything, including the jambalaya incident.
Bottom line, amazing food, and friendly staff that is attentive but leaves you alone?! I think Big Jones is one of my new all time favorite restaurants. It will be yours too when you go. I promise.
I hope you bring a Big appetite when you eat at Big Jones!
Was that really the best I could come up with?
This place has really good food and large portions to match. They start the meal off with a piece of cornbread with actual pieces of corn baked inside. Paired with butter sweetened with butter is a match made in heaven. Note it is not Honeybutter like they sell at the grocery store (which is way too sweet IMO).
I got the crab cake and the Chicken fried steak. Both were very well prepared. The only problem I had was with the crab cake being on the smaller side. It also didn't have any real original flavor that set it off. But the chicken fried steak was cooked to perfection and paired with this gravy that I would have probably not killed for but a world class maiming might have been in order.
I also tried some of the S.O's gumbo and I thought the Andouille sausage was great and really brought out the flavor of the rest of the dish. My palette was working this night, thank god.
I liked the simple decor of the restaurant and our server was very attentive. The sweet tea was great. Also it should be noted that the tea is sweetened with honey. Kind of like me.
I would come back here in a heartbeat. The food and atmosphere was great and the service was top notch.
* This has nothing to do with the restaurant but every time i typed in chicken fried steak I spelled it Chicken friend stake. Is that some weird Freudian slip in my brain? Never mind.
Service: Excellent
Bathrooms: Spotless
Atmosphere: Narrow, Felt country-ish
Food: Above Average
Maybe I was having an off night! I genuinely liked this place. I thought the menu could be a little more extensive. I would have liked to see an Etoufee or Jambalaya.
Cornbread was excellent, Shrimp and Grits was good not great! Chicken Salad left much to be desired.
I used to think Big is not always better, but I've been proven wrong.
Big Jones entered my mouth with their delicious food and into my heart with their great service.
We took advantage of the prix fixe menu for $25 consisting of:
*Appetizer - Fried Green Tomato (4 stars) & Crab Cake (5 stars)
*Salad - Blackberry salad (4 stars)
*Entree - Stuffed Quail w/ fried hominy and a sweet corn puree (5 stars)
*Dessert - Red velvet cake w/ cream cheese frosting (5+ stars) & Mississippi Mud Pie (5+ stars)
*Beverage - 1/2 price bottle of sparkling wine (5 stars)
I ate my food like I eat my [insert here]; yes, it was that good!
The server was wonderful, attentive, knowledgeable, fantabulous, pure awesomeness (okay, I'm running out of words here)...point being, the service was outstanding. She brought out glasses of wine to taste to help us determine which bottle we wanted. The servers also came around to show us what the dishes looked like before we ordered it.
I wanted to kidnap our server, take her home and have her serve me for the rest of my life. Okay, that really sounded demented, but she really was that good!
I'll definitely be back. I think tonight (Tuesday) is a fried chicken special with $5 margaritas...
Hmmm, wonder where I'll be!! :)
Food was good and our waitor was super nice guy. The issue was that the manager really has poor customer service. We had a large group of 14 to celebrate a birthday. We had brought a cake in for the birthday. We understood that they would charge us because we brought a dessert in, but they wanted to charge $4 per person "cutting" charge for the cake. Because we had 14 people, we would have paid $56 just to cut the cake. Absolutely outrageous. Manager was also very rude in explaining their policy to us
I'm from the South, so I guess that makes me a legit judge of sweet tea in the non-Southern parts of the country, right? And I do like the kind that they have at Big Jones. It's syrupy sweet, just the way we like it in the South. But it has a stronger hint of freshly brewed black tea that is often absent from the classic Southern variety. Served with lots of ice and free refills - perfection.
The interior is very modern and well-lit and prices are reasonable. We went for brunch, and the server brought a little complementary plate of the tastiest freshly-fried beignets completely doused in powdered sugar. So good I wouldn't have minded just having coffee and beignets for brunch if that were an option...
The brunch menu does not lack in choices, however, and it was difficult to make a decision. I ended up having the corn cakes with Creole-spiced ratatouille and poached eggs. It felt like a healthier alternative with the savory ratatouille full of veggies and the corn cakes bursting with crunchy whole fresh white corn kernels in each bite. The eggs were poached to perfection, runny yolks and all. It was a great, comforting brunch, and with so many menu items, I'll have to be back.
Visited Big Jones for my birthday with my family and we had a fantastic time! We had the best, and I truly mean THE BEST, server ever! His name was Andy and he anticipated everything we needed and wanted and was charming and toed the line nicely between being helpful and friendly and giving us our space. I would go back again just to have that kind of service. Big Jones best hold onto him and keep him happy!
Once again the food was wonderful! And if you don't get the Mississippi Mud Pie, you are a crazy fool.
And did you know if you fill out a card to be on their mailing list and email list, you will get a card in the mail on your birthday for a free drink and a free dessert?! Now that's smart business. See you in a couple of weeks Big Jones, for my hubby's birthday!
Just went here for Dine Out for Life! And the main reason we picked Big Jones was because they were… Read more »
So excited to bring the family to try the great Southern grub at Big Jones. The food was good but not bellyaching good like on my last visit. Yeah for Intelligentsia coffee. Always strong and these coffee glasses are tremendous! The beignets though tasty didn't have the same "just baked" quality.
I did opt to try something new and am glad I did. The fried okra (in lieu of fries) is phenomenal. This isn't something you can get everywhere and it is addictive. I opted for a breakfast sandwich on whole grain bread complete with bacon, egg avocado, cheese and fried sage which would have tasted better had they not put jalepeno on -- totally overpowered the delicate sage.
I will come back just because I love the atmosphere here that much. I'll will myself to try a new dish next time and I'm sure they won't disappoint :)
I left Big Jones with a big bellyache. That's right their food is that good. I could not stop… Read more »
Big Jones holds a special little place in my heart. Not long after they opened up, I ventured in and was so happy to have done so!
First off, the customer service is probably the best I've experienced in the city. The waitstaff is attentive, quick to respond, and really, really friendly.
Secondly, the food is really good. I've loved pretty much everything I've had here. The eggs Rochambeau are amazing!! The black eyed pea fritters are delightful. The burger and fries...oh dear god. Everything is high quality! I could drink their sweet tea like it's going out of style.
For dessert, definitely get the Mississippi Mud Pie. To die for! The food is definitely rich, so be prepared if you have a sensitive tummy!
In my opinion, it's worth every cent. Very reasonable with great service! What else could you ask for??
Very organic.
Wednesday nights=cheap daiquiris.
Great place for a date.
After spending the previous week in New Orleans and thoroughly enjoying the Southern, Creole, and Cajun cuisine of the region, my cravings continued upon returning to Chicago. I could have died for some spicy Gumbo or Jambalaya or maybe a tasty, sugary sweet Beignet or slice of Red Velvet Cake...
I found Big Jones on Yelp, checked out the menu and was pretty intrigued. The other day I decided it was the day to fill my taste buds and stomach with some southern wonders. Upon walking into the restaurant, I really was struck by the design. It reminded me of the charming, old world Galatoires Restaurant in New Orleans, but mixed with a good dose of modern urban chic.
For 7pm on a Monday the restaurant seemed oddly dead, I believe there was one other table occupied. It would fill up a little more as the evening progressed, but still an underwhelming crowd.
Our waiter and the rest of the staff were extremely attentive and helpful, but something was amiss. The service seemed friendly, but still cold and uptight. I would have loved a little more relaxed and warm staff.
The menu looked great - a ton of delicious looking choices. I asked the waiter what was the best entree the on the menu and he recommended the Country Friend Steak and the Gumbo. For appetizers we ended up ordering the Beet Salad and the Gumbo. The salad was very good. The Gumbo was good, but not great. I found that it was thin and seemed to resemble a spicy vegetable beef soup more than anything. They also brought out cornbread, which again was good, but nothing great. It was moist, but just bland.
For entrees we ordered the Country Friend Steak, which was good, but nothing special. I did find the deep friend mashed potatoes very interesting, though. We also ordered the Pulled Pork Sandwich, which was good.
For dessert we had the Red Velvet Cake. It took about 25mins for the dessert to come out. We thought they just forgot about us - I mean how long does it take to get a slice of cake? What they didn't tell us was that it was made-on-order. Which is great, but we need to be informed of that. As for the cake itself: like all the dishes, it was good (a bit too dry), but nothing great. It did have a tasty sweet cream on top.
Everything at Big Jones looked great: the restaurant itself, the menu, the actual presentation of the food... but the food itself was ultimately very underwhelming - seemed to have a lot of style, but little substance.
I had never heard of Big Jones until I went to the Green City Chef's BBQ. The bbq was pork galore, but their pork belly dish stole the spotlight. With that in mind, we had planned on catching dinner there sometime.
We were on our way to M. Henry for brunch when we saw Big Jones and decided to give it a go. When I think of the name "Big Jones" I imagine a bbq shack. However, the restaurant was actually quite nice. It's the perfect spot to take your parents, in-laws, date or girlfriends.
They started us off with warm complimentary beignets. Yummm!! The orange juice was also exactly the way I like it: fresh, pulp-free, and not too sour. Eggs New Orleans and the 2 egg breakfast w/crawfish fritters were both really tasty. The crawfish fritters reminded me of fried risotto balls. Next time, I'd try the fried green tomatoes. Some of the egg dishes are pricier, but those dishes contain steak or crabcakes. The back to basic options runs average brunch prices and the portions are huge.
It's not on the menu, but you can order a short stack of pancakes on the side. The pancakes were really fluffy. The thing I love about this place is how everything tastes homemade and fresh. When I asked for jam, they brought out fresh raspberry preserves. This place is comfort food at your finest.
I went there last night for the fried chicken special and was treated really well. It's true that the service is thoughtful and friendly, which sets a nice tone and gave me the courage to ask what "popcorn rice" was.
The cornbread was very yummy, and I am not a fan of cornbread normally. Theirs has a kick to it and resembles a muffin-top (like Elaine's idea from Seinfeld, not the overflowing flesh resulting from too-tight pants). Also, I had the spring vegetable creole which was tasty but there could have been more vegetables - both variety and quantity).
Next time I'd like to try brunch, and I was also intrigued by the violet tea on the drink menu. I'll go back.
Have been to Big Jones twice now with hubby. Both times have been a hit.
Hubby is rather old school when it comes to his soul food, so this nouveau Southern cuisine is a bit over the top for him (braised rabbit and similar) so he sticks to the bbq sandwich or the chicken fried something.
Last night I had red wine and hubby had an Old Fashioned, and shared a Mint Julep. Hubby was skeptical of their ability to make a "real" Southern drink but he was quite impressed (I'm talking about the Mint Julep - perfectly muddled).
For an app we had the beet salad and I would have licked the plate had the place not been so full of other patrons.
For din din I had two apps - the sauteed mushrooms on grits and the smaller portion of the chicken and andouille sausage gumbo.
Hubby had the pulled pork sandwich with fries. I wanted okra, but hey...it was his meal.
Food quality was excellent. Even the fries were great and I'm not a fried potato person. The roux in my gumbo was wonderfully spiced and the sauteed mushrooms were wonderful.
Our waiter brought us the okra anyway "to try" (he heard me whining about it), with a side of green goddess dressing. It's sooo good. Just like mom's okra (if you have a southern mommy).
My only issue is the cornbread they bring out at the start of the meal. As with most midwestern restaurants that serve cornbread (unless it's really old school), is that "cornbread" it's more of a "corn cupcake". In my mind, there should be a crunchy snap to cornbread (hence, far more cornmeal than flour) and absolutely no sweetness to it. But to each his own. Hey, it comes with the meal gratis.
Otherwise, excellent food with lovely plate presentation.
Love the interior of this place. Seating is quite comfortable. Great vibe in the restaurant on the whole. Great restaurant. Never done brunch, but will in the future.
Excellent. I had the biscuts and Sausage with collared greens. Great taste. My friend had the most delicious sausage Patty and syrup and pancakes in her breakfast plate. Will most definatly go here again.
I went here by myself for an early dinner on a Saturday, about 4:00 or so. I had squash soup, which was good but not particularly noteworthy. Campbell's makes a version that tastes similar.
For dinner, I had the grit cakes which were not noteworthy.
Too expensive for me to bother with again.
If you've never had good soul food, or live in the neighborhood of Big Jones, try this place and you will probably like it. If you have had any good soul food, you will be disappointed.
There were 6 of us. Two people got the fried catfish sandwiches with fried okra. They loved it. The rest of us got "fried catfish" with homestyle mashed potatos. Gross. Undercooked and chewy (yes, chewy) fish and the dryest mashed potatos I have ever had. The appetizers were ok but nothing special and we were disappointed in the main entrees so we did not even try for desert.
Not good. Try Table 52 instead.
Service was good and the place was warm and welcoming but this did not make up for the average at best food.
i give big jones 4.5 stars. i had such a delicious meal here on sunday night. the sparkling wine they have is really good and only 6 dollars! george wanted the sauvignon blanc, which they only had a half glass of left, so he had the torrentes instead. the atmosphere is really clean and nice. given the name, i was expecting something more kitschy, but it wasn't like that at all.
onto the food. beet salad - good. cornbread - OMG. i ate 4 pieces, thanks to our lovely server who brought us 2 extra pieces when she saw how much we loved it. gumbo - amazing. and george really liked his pork chops. finally - the mississippi mud pie and the red velvet cake...so good, especially the mud pie.
the service is what really set this place apart for me. our waitress was SO nice. halfway through our meal she brought george the half glass of sauvignon blanc just to be nice. she also brought us an extra dessert that she knew we were debating ordering (the kitchen had made an extra one by mistake, and we were the lucky recipients).
i can't wait to come back!
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