Dee’s Place

Wow, such delicious food. The jambalaya rice, collared greens and mac n cheese were amazing. I’m vegetarian so I didn’t try the fried chicken, but my friend did and said it was absolutely delicious. Corn bread was good too. Great comfort food and very nice waitstaff. Not a big menu but when you make dishes that well there’s never a bad thing on the menu.

I love Dee’s Place. This is soul food without the greasy feeling. I had the fried chicken, green beans, red beans & rice, Mac & Cheese and corn bread. I wanted to try it all. Everything was super delicious and was even better the next day!!! You can’t go wrong on the price, the staff is very friendly and no cork fee! Plus the jazz music just took the night to the next level. This place is a must!

great place for homestyle comfort food… b.y.o.b makes for a cheap night. Live music on weekends. Pretty cool. I left stuffed mission accomplished! I will say the prices were a little high for what it was.

The food and staff here are great — as someone who lived in the South and knows real soul food this place is better than what I expected for a northern place.
The BYOB factor was fantastic — the glasses they brought out made us laugh as they were huge but nice as we didnt have to keep repouring — it was like I was home!
There was three of us and we got an appetizer and two meats & 4 sides — the perfect amount of food for us — actually we didnt even finish it, there was a bite or two leftover that we just couldn’t finish. The appetizer was the fried green tomatoes — a bit greasy but the grease was good, the oil fresh & not old tasting, which always affects the taste of the food. Since it was the end of the season the tomatoes weren’t as flavorful, but thats because its fall, not anything the restaurant did.
The main dishes were meatloaf & fried chicken, with greens, mac & cheese, black eyed peas & rice. All was great and can’t wait to go back.

There are rumors this place is permanently closed, I am not certain this is true! A good friend of mine is friends with the owners & I believe they are closed for remodeling.
Hopefully they do re-​open soon — so anyone reading these reviews & wishing to try this fried chicken, keep your fingers crossed and check back to see if they re-​open!

Dee’s is alas closed??? WHAAATHAAAA darnitt do.
My fav neighborhood haunt Crust is now extinct as well.
Arggghh! Yaa killin’ me people.
Please, please, please Aldeman Moreno — do not allow either space to become another ‘douché’ sports bar!

You can get real soul food in Wicker Park! My brother in law wanted to try this place so I caught up with him and his family here one wintry night in late December. I had walked past many times and wanted to see what this place was about.
Our group ordered the fried chicken plates and since I came late and I ordered some greens and mac and cheese for myself as I ate some of the fried chicken and mashed potatoes!
The ethic here seems to be that they do not make soul food with too much fat or pork lard or the stuff that sometimes gives soul food a bad name. The greens were made with turkey rather than pork fat which was nice. If you are looking for soul food in Wicker Park or if you have never tried soul food, I would go check this place out.
As my brother in law pointed out — for those who do not eat pork products they are very up front about what they put in the food so just ask.
I loved all the concert posters including one which featured the Rolling Stones opening up for legendary Chicago blues bands. That would have been a show to see!
They are cash only, and our bill was not a lot but not cheap. Southern style food with a healthy-​ish style (ok, this stuff is not «light» by any measure), then this place does the trick.

I’m going to ask this honestly with the most sincere attitude, «What did I pay 13.95 an entrée for?»
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A little pretext before going review: My brother and I visited this place within two weeks of it’s grand opening and felt that there were potential.
I had ordered the smothered chicken and enjoyed the spiciness of the gravy and the black eyed peas that was ordered. The fried okra at the time seemed standard fare almost akin to what could be bought at the now defunct Moo and Oink. What I had hoped that would be improved with time was that they would somehow pad up the meals to give it a more fuller experience.
The service was phenomenal as we were served by a very cute waitress that my brother and I had fun flirting with. One of the people that I believe is one of the owners had interacted with us in addition, giving us a warm kind impression.
I had left with the hope of revisiting this place down the line.
Now onto the review.
===
Service: I felt ignored. They met the bare minimum requirement while being excruciatingly slow but didn’t really feel warm or welcoming at all. When they did interact with us, they gave us very canned comments. I knew that when the live music started, service would plummet but I don’t think it could get any worse than this. The service received was a stark contrast to what my family had experienced this time around.
Food: The table ordered: Dee’s Special Fried Chicken, Fried Fish, and Smothered Chicken with an appetizer of Dee’s Special Dip. Each of these dishes were executed well while being plated thoughtfully but…
+ Dee’s Special Dip: It’s a rarity where a restaurant would give more dip than chip and started off the night on a high note with the chips being freshly fried and crunchy.
+ The fried fish came with a sizable portion to be expected at the price point having nice texture both in the breading and fish. Despite this, it did not have a taste that was delicious or memorable in anyway. The coleslaw that was ordered with this was nice and clean but did not stand out in anyway.
+ The smothered chicken was said by my mother to be nice but lacked any flavor. She described it as the same kind of gravy you get from the jars at a local grocery store though the chicken was juicy. The greens I sampled were bland and didn’t show any flavor whatsoever. It was poached though left with some sauce that did not show any flavor as well.
+ Dee’s Special Fried Chicken. This is their signature dish, the dish they were proud enough to put their name on it as well as give the customer a sense of the restaurant. To my dismay, it did give me a sense of the restaurant, well executed and juicy but lacked any distinct flavor and substance.
As I draw this to a close, I was willing to overlook a lot of incidents that came up throughout the night: the super tight spaces where traffic kept impacting my seat and jacket; the accident that happened in the kitchen with one of the cooks burning their hand adding time which still didn’t explain the poor service, the accident by the staff that happened outside of the kitchen interrupting the live music; and the GFI outlet in the men’s bathroom that needs to be covered as a building inspector would have issue with. This still was irredeemable.
With all this in mind: I WILL NOT RETURN.

I don’t understand why this would be called a Soul Food restaurant, it didn’t feel like any love was put into the food we tried to eat.
Well, the first red flag was that we got there around 1:00 to find out that they weren’t even open yet. The hours clearly state 11:00 am –1:00 am. I then called to see what time they would be opened and I got a VERY snotty 15 minutes. Well, we waited a good 45 minutes.
The 2^nd red flag was that the waitress said that we couldn’t eat inside because it wasn’t ready, but because of my severe allergies I can’t eat outside. She let us into the dining area, which only has about 10 – 12 tables. I’m going to assume that they don’t clean before they leave at night. The server asked if we wanted water, and I guess that they had to wash out the glasses because it took about 10 or 15 minutes.
3^rd red flag was that we ordered fried green tomatoes for an appetizer, and those took over 30 minutes, oh I forgot to add that it was only 2 tables seated in the restaurant. When the tomatoes arrived they looked like they were dipped in tempura batter, it was SO disgusting.
We then waited another 40 minutes to get our food. I ordered smothered chicken, mac and cheese, and rice. My daughter ordered fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and collard greens. While we waited for our food, I couldn’t help but hear the microwave going off A LOT. That’s a no no when eating out. I can microwave my own food at home. Well, our food finally came and it was SO terrible. My chicken was cold. The mac and cheese was put in a bowl with some cheese on top and microwaved, I know that because grease was just floating at the top. SO GROSS… I then tasted the rice, and it was Uncle Ben’s Instant rice… My daughter was loving her chicken, so I told her to taste her sides. The greens were out of the can, GLORY GREENS!!! Greens need to be made with love, and these things were just warmed up in the microwave, and VERY salty.
I told the waitress about my issues with the food, and she replied «oh ok», not I’ll take it off your bill, sorry, NOTHING.
I paid $ 40 for a meal that TERRIBLE! The only good thing was the water. This is why Black establishments don’t work out. Please some some pride into your business. I gave them 1 star, but that’s even too much… I wouldn’t ever go back… such a shame!

Dee’s Place:
Nice little soul food joint where the Northside variety can feel «safe» going to.
They are clearly still working out the kinks here. They don’t have but two servers and yes this causes them to be incredibly slow. In my opinion, soul food takes time, and to be honest their food is worth the wait. Nothing is slap yo’ mama good, but this aint you’re mama’s house.
If nothing else, the BYOB and live music help to round this place out. I’ve visited before it was a sensation on Groupon, and Im glad I did. In general, the atmosphere is chill, the food is tasty, and the service is well intentioned.

The negative reviews do not lie, be forewarned. I dismissed them at first, thinking that the complaints about the wait and awfully spotty service were penned by a gaggle of snotty entitled SUV-​driving yuppie brats, a group of people I don’t identify myself with.
I walked in excited for this meal, and I walked out feeling deeply disappointed in the wasted potential.
FORTY MINUTES for fried green tomatoes to arrive. I’ve made fried green tomatoes at home. Slice them, dredge them, and pop them in the fryer. Forty minutes? Really?
ONE HOUR and TWENTY MINUTES for our entrees to be served. They apologised and blamed it on the fact that they sent the food out to the wrong table, but after reading many of these reviews, it seems quite clear that an hour seems to be the expected wait time here.
Assuming the owners read this: Get it together. Have an efficient system in place that does not involve scribbled post-​its that are so easily misplaced and misread. Turn down the volume of the live music by at least 30%, it’s a small space with brick and tile surfaces– MY EARS ARE STILL RINGING and I left your establishment an hour ago.
The food is exceedingly delicious. There’s love and soul there, but you’ll be so sour by the time your meal is served that it won’t even matter anymore.

This is my new favorite date night spot!!! My boyfriend and I LOVE it!!! The first time we came it was a Thursday and they were having a comedy show featuring local talent. 1. No cover, 2. BYOB (bring your own bottle) 3. Great food. Who could ask for more?
Now, the first time we had a server who could have been a little more attentive, but it was her 2^nd week so we cut her some slack. Out side of that. Perfect. Both times.
That second visit, the food was so good, I was upset my plate was empty. I had the smothered chicked with red beans and rice, my boyfriend had the fried chicken with mashed potatos and gravy. Both were amazing!!! My boyfriend has not stopped talking about this food, and he is super picky.
The atmosphere was nice, a little cramped when full, but on a regular nice the low lights and nice music are spot on.
The staff was friendly and very helpful, even the cooks came out to make sure we were enjoying the food and the manager was so funny.
The restaurant is bring your own liquor! So seriously bring your own because otherwise you will be jealous of everyone else with bottles and you with just pop. The food is a little pricey but well worth it, and just in case you need help, they provide a nice 18% tip estimate at the bottom of your reciept lol.
Check it out!

Ah, good old restaurant com certificates
The only reason I decided to check this place out was your ridiculously cheap discount of 2.00 for a $ 20 certificate, yet somehow this dining experience has made me re-​evaluate the importance of 200 pennies.
Fried green tomatoes were barely battered, the fried chicken was dry, flavorless and reminded me of the «joys» of discovering week old KFC that had been unceremoniously pushed to the back of the fridge due to the arrival of a half mutilated Italian BMT.
Yes, i eat out a lot, but that sad truth is not what this review is about dammit. This is about the large piece of mucous encased catfish that Dee’s tried to pawn off as authentic Souhern delicacy. Literally, this thing felt like it had been snagged by a fisherman who was too drunk to notice he had a bite, then dragged through the swampy marshland for 50 miles, only to then be somehow magically transported through Slimer’s asshole and onto my plate.
So yeah, next time I’ll save the 2.00 as a down payment on a taco at Big Star. The anticipation of getting that 1 extra dollar so that I can then go wait in line for 3 hours is actually a step up from a dinner at Dee’s.

There are 2 rules to understand before dining at Dee’s Place.
Rule #1 — Do not come to Dee’s Place expecting fast and attentive service, you will be disappointed. The laid back casual nature of this place is not for you.
Rule #2 — Expect great southern, down home comfort food that will leave you wanting more.
Now that I have explained the rules, we can get down to business. Went in on a Friday night at 8:30 to listen to some great jazz (it starts at 8:30 pm on Fridays) and have some awesome southern cooking.
We got a table next to the stage and plopped out two bottles of wine ready for a nice 2.5 hour stay. Our server gave us a couple of glasses and we were set. We ordered the fried green tomatoes and fried okra to start. The okra was amazing, very fresh crispy, light breading, and just plain goodness. We didn’t care for the tomatoes as much, I like them greener and more firm, but they still hit the spot.
Our entrees were the fried chicken, jerk chicken, mac & cheese, and collard greens.
Fried chicken — Awesome. Very juicy, crispy skin. Served hot off the fryer. Perfectly cooked, the meat and skin were the perfect texture.
Jerk chicken — Fantastic jerk rub and sauce. Don’t know how they get so much flavor into this dish. The chicken was again cooked perfectly and I couldn’t stop eating it. I actually liked it better than the fried chicken, but my wife was the opposite. Both were outstanding.
Mac and cheese — I’m a lover of mac & cheese, and unfortunately Dee’s didn’t impress me. Maybe it was because it was served a little below warm and it seemed like it had been sitting for a bit, but I would opt for another side on my next visit.
Collard greens — Excellent. Very large serving and tender by still a bit firm. Tasted like they had been cooked in pork ribs… just like grandma used to do.
Overall we had a great time. The jazz band played the entire time. Service was a bit slow, but still polite and friendly. Definitely a great BYO spot with free jazz and solid food. More please!

Thank you Unilocal community for recommending this place. Was in the area this weekend and located it on Unilocal.Certainly lived up to high ranking!
This is a quaint little place with lively music and a wonderful staff. The food takes a little while to get but it is more than worth the wait. If you are a fan of southern food, Dee’s is the place to go.
I went for breakfast and cannot wait to go back for dinner. The owner mentioned that there is great live jazz/​blues music on the weekends and I am looking forward to going for that!

Chicken and waffles.
Yup. It was the day after the infamous St. Patty’s 2011 and I was finally…*ahem*…ready to eat a meal again. After brainstorming with Kristina B. and nixing the idea of driving to the southside, I basically forced her to call Dee’s Place to see if had chicken and waffles on their menu.
…and they did! Sunday brunch, perfection.
Dee’s Place serves up brunch items — from the regular (eggs, biscuits and gravy, sausage, bacon, fruit, oatmeal) to the more hearty (chicken and waffles, grits, fried green tomatoes). If you are starving, be aware that the chicken is fried up fresh and probably takes 15 — 20 minutes before it’s ready (depending on how many pieces your party orders). But, when it arrives at the table, it is WELL worth the wait, let me tell you. The skin is perfect for curing that hangover… and the maple syrup/​waffle mix/​chicken with hot sauce combo is beyond good. *droool*
The owners are amazingly friendly, funny and welcoming. They shared stories of their past bar crawls and laughed it up while I couldn’t seem to answer a question properly. I enjoyed the homey feel of the restaurant and LOVED that basketball was on. Best recovery ever.
Added bonus: BYOB! Bring your own champagne to mix with oj to enjoy during brunch.

Dee’s serves up some mighty fine fried chicken.
Jennifer I. and I ventured here last night and we were literally the only ones in here the entire time we were there.
Fried chicken was the order of the day and we each got the two-​piece white meat w/​2 sides option. I had the mashed potatoes and mac and cheese and she had the mashed potatoes and cole slaw.
The chicken was really good; juicy, well-​seasoned, and crispy. I enjoyed the sides as well, especially the jalapeño cornbread. Everything is clearly homemade and cooked to order.
The mashed potatoes were served with gravy that had a nice little kick to it but the sweet raspberry tea was a most soothing foil.
Prices are a tad high — $ 15.95 for two pieces of chicken with two sides is a little steep, but we came armed with a
gift certificate which brought the cost way down. We also shared a peach cobbler for dessert which I thought was a little on the sweet side, but not enough to keep us from gobbling it up.
The owners were very friendly and talked to us at length, which was nice.
The interior is cool too, old pictures of Eartha Kitt, Lena Horne and other notable African-​American luminaries line the walls. They also play live jazz (but not when we were there) so I’ll definitely come back and listen to some smooth grooves whilst feasting on fried chicken.

I have to say I didn’t try a lot on the menu other than the rib tips. I usually don’t eat rib tips because ribs are just leaner and tastier, but my wallet is thin these days. The tips were leaner than I expected, and weren’t over smoked or spiced and had lots of delicious, crispy pieces of char. Service was great.
I will definitely return and try the other «soul» foods there and possibly check out some live jazz /​soul.

I am so happy I found this place. Well I didn’t find it personally, but my friends and I happened upon it at Division Fest. Dee’s is BYOB, so we decided to go there for our monthly dinner outing. The restaurant is small like many BYOB’s. The staff was so friendly and accommodating of our 11 person party, and found a way to seat our group comfortably in their outdoor patio area. One of the owners, who is also their «pastry chef» came out to say hello and thanked us for coming to her restaurant which was really sweet.
The food was pretty good. Since I was with a big group I tried a lot of different things, but the jerk chicken was my favorite. Beware though it is very spicy. I LOVED the corn bread, and the greens. The only thing I wasn’t crazy about was the mac and cheese, but as anyone who grew up on soul food knows, everyone does mac and cheese a little different. The desserts were fantastic: blueberry peach cobbler, strawberry banana peach cobbler, caramel cake, etc. I loved them all even though I don’t like bananas :) Lastly, the staff will probably tell you this, but the menu varies, similar to other soul food restaurants, so they may have a specialty menu for that night in lieu of some of the other standard menu items.
I would definitely recommend that you try this place out.

I went to Dee’s Place last night with a friend and I had a really good time. I found Dee’s Place opening announcement on Chicago’s Tasting Table and on Unilocal.I read the three reviews and decided to give it a try.
The waitstaff is really great, down to earth and really fun. I laughed the entire time I was there. The vibe is relaxed and unpretentious. They were showing clips of soul train from a projector and later on there was live music which added a warm, yet lively touch to the atmosphere.
As for the food, it was good. I had the fried chicken with greens. My friend LOVED his food. He had the catfish with Jambalaya rice and the pecan pie. The only criticisms would be the menus don’t have prices on them and their hours of operation are not posted, not even on Unilocal.I had to call. The fried green tomato app that we ordered was decent but for the quantity did not feel it warranted the price. The restaurant has only been opened for about a week or so. It’s a keeper. I’m a fan!