Soulman’s Bar-B-Que

I have only had two meals here, both were great. I have been eating this companies bbq for over 20 years and have only been disappointed once (they ran out of ribs at one place about 15 years ago).
The pecan pie is the best anywhere, as a matter of fact I buy a whole pie about once a week. I have suggested that they offer a punch card for the pies, buy 10 and get one free. I’m still waiting for this to happen (come on, take a hint) because one can never not have pie.
One of the best values for the money. They say they aren’t stingy with their meats and that’s an absolute fact.

So this is what BBQ is supposed to be. Looking for that big plate of ribs, sides and sauce that will leave you licking the bowl… come here. 40 dollars for two big plates. I got the two meat plate and the two sides. I could eat here every day. Tons of people here, this place is popular. Sexy food!!! Thank you!

I’m a weekly visitor of this location. The ham is always juicy and very flavorful. Baked potatoes are good. Pleasant environment and friendly employees.

The food is fantastic and the wait in line is minimal! My co-​workers and I eat here all the time. You have to try the Soul Bowl!!! The BBQ sauce is the best EVER!!!

Was recommended while in town on business for a good BBQ on my last night in town and was just what I was looking for. Got the double barrel w/​all the fixins with brisket and spicy corn for the side. Ordered to-​go and was very fast service. No frills. Not quite 5-​stars, but very good for the price.

This place was just ok…
Ribs/​Brisket were dry, they did corrected the ribs. Then they were awesome…
Sides were great… cream corn off the chain Mac n Cheese was running alot but to me way better the it dry as all getup.
Hotlinks were great… not over spicy but lots of flavor.
Fresh apple pies were very good…
Staff was very pleasant, but could not get over the dry brisket in Texas.

I’m updating my review bc I was able to return to the same location and had a better experience than the 1^st.
After my 1^st unpleasant visit I was contacted by their district manager who was very sincere and apologetic about my experience. He offered us a gift card to come back and try Soulman’s again. It took a few weeks but we ended up visiting the same Soulman’s the Sunday after Thanksgiving. We were planning to have a late thanksgiving lunch at a friends house and I offered to bring turkey. I called early in the morning and I was glad to hear they still had whole turkeys for sale. The gentlemen took my order was polite and assured me my turkey would be ready by the time I specified. Upon picking up our turkey the cashier was friendly and the place looked cleaner than our 1^st time. The best part was how amazing the turkey tasted. It was smoked turkey and it was delicious! It was juicy and had great flavor. Everyone at our lunch party thought it was home cooked but dare not take the credit for it. Lol I was very happy and satisfied with my 2^nd visit.

Well hello been here in Texas for only a few weeks found the greatest BBQ place I ever tried soul man BBQ I had the double barlle ong it was awesome my hubby had the soul bowl again awesome will return again moved from PA and never had BBQ as good as here give it 5 STARS

I really liked there bbq. First time going and loved it and they didnt lie when they said they werent stingy with there meat. They piled it on if you dont mind a cafeteria style atmosphere its a great place for a lunch break for bbq gonna make that my new bbq spot.

I’ve been coming here for several years with no complaints; however, yesterday I had the minced barbeque on the baked potato. It was loaded with gristle and I felt quite sick on the way home. No, I did not complain, but did intend to write a review. For the life of me, I can’t understand why they would want to risk their good reputation like this and all for the sake of a few dollars (by the way, the potato was not cheap — over $ 9!). Don’t be stingy and just give us pure barbeque on that potato — save your gristle scraps for the cat!

SMOKE FREE BBQ… Absolutely the worst BBQ I have ever experienced.
The brisket was flavorless. Showed no evidence or hint of smoke. Had no bark or smoke ring. Really tasted like an unseasoned brisket that someone tossed in the oven for a couple hours.
Ribs were dry and mealy. And just like the brisket, no smoke. Oven baked and bland.
This sauce everyone raves about is such a subpar generic BBQ sauce. Straight from the bottle, you can buy it at Kroger.
I am really amazed that they have multiple locations and people think this is good «BBQ».

Honestly… I don’t know how this can pass off as BBQ. The meat was bland, the BBQ sauce was subpar and the sides… Ehhh, nothing to write home about. My suggestion is go to deep ellum and go to the pecan lodge. Sure you have to wait a little longer but you will get real bbq.
Not to mention at 2 PM, hardly anyone was in there and there were only 3 tables clean… Totally unacceptable.

Ok, been to the Richardson and Cedar Hill location, I would rate the Richardson a 4 star and the Cedar Hill 2 stars (based on the Sunday family crew customer service) but this Mesquite location is horrible. The ribs were hidden from view and pulled from an oven wrapped in plastic wrap. Frank, the manager, acted like he didn’t want to be there or answer any questions. Absolutely NO customer service provided. The worst service ever. The ribs were streamed NOT smoked and were mushy. The cabbage was just ok and the potatoes tasteless. Never again.

I’ve listened to people rave about Soulman’s for years and I have finally concluded that those people have never had good barbecue in their life because Soulman’s is some of the WORST barbecue that I have ever eaten. The taste is bland and the quality of their meats is low with a lot of fat and gristle, the sauce might as well be the cheap, generic straight out of the bottle stuff, and the service is lackluster at best. I have tried it at least a dozen times at this restaurant or at a catered work event over the years and sadly, it never improves.

They have a spicy corn side that is great. I got the 2 meat deal and their BBQ sauce was amazing on the sliced brisket.

How sad, have not been to Soulman’s BBQ in years. Was in the area and stopped by for carryout. A person was behind the counter and was talking on a cell phone. I thought it was strange but figured he would get off once I got to the order station. He didn’t and continued waiting on me while he talked stopping on occasion to concentrate on the phone call. I ordered several pounds of meat and a couple came up behind me and was also waiting to order. He never got off the phone while he finished my order. The couple made a comment about his phone call and once he finished with me he turned his back on them and continued to talk. They asked him if they could order now and after a couple of times he finally said, just a minute to the. I was floored. They said they needed to order and he replied, can’t you just wait minute I do work on the phone too. They left and I started to leave also but the young lady’s finished my order and I paid and left. Probably won’t come back but whoever owns the company I hope you take note. The girl who checked me out told me he was the manager. Wow, and he was rude to the customers behind me. I just hope the food is good. I’ll see when I get home.

My daughter and I came here once to eat during the summer. a/​c was out and they had the door open which let flies in. This was not a good day… poor service… smh ”

It had been a few weeks since I’d last devoured some smoked meat, and my inner carnivore was having serious withdrawals. In honor of their 40^th year, I thought I’d give Soulman’s a try. I caught the scent of delicious smoke as soon as I pulled up, even before I stepped out of my truck. Inside, a great smoky aroma filled every inch of this place. There was a pleasant country atmosphere which matched the music they were pumping out. I felt right at home.
Soulman’s has eight different meats available, but the true measure of any bbq joint worth its salt is the ability to dish out the Texas Trinity: brisket, ribs, sausage. I snagged their 3 Meat Plate without hesitation. I requested fatty brisket rather than lean. They also seem to favor thinner slices of meat, so I asked for thicker slices as well. Side dishes are self-​serve, and I helped myself to pinto beans and potato salad.
They have two versions of pinto beans to pick from: regular and loaded with pico de gallo. Naturally, I opted for pico. The beans had great flavor and a definite kick from the diced jalapeño. I also liked the crunch from the onions. As for the potato salad, it was unsurprisingly mustard-​based. There was a big punch of dill and pickle which masked the mustard nicely.
Despite my earlier request, the brisket was still sliced a little on the thin side. The bland bark was seasoned with little more than a light dusting of salt and pepper, and the bites without bark had almost no flavor at all. I found only a modicum of smoke. The brisket was tender and juicy, but definitely not what I would consider «fatty» brisket by any means.
The sausage contained some pretty finely-​ground meat, suggesting that it was store bought, and the taste echoed the same fear. There was hardly a hint of smoke. It was also a little greasy for my liking. It could definitely use some coarse black pepper and more garlic, thought it’s hard to tweak sausage that you don’t make in-​house.
I saved the ribs for last. Sadly, I couldn’t see any pepper on the crust, so I feared these ribs would be about as bland as the other two meats had been. To my surprise, they were cooked well and were quite moist. There wasn’t much smoke here either. The majority of the flavor came from the grill char rather than from the smoking process or a rub.
As disappointing as my meal had been, I couldn’t help grabbing a peach fried pie for dessert, especially since they’re only 49 cents each. The flaky crust and gooey peach filling were amazing. It wasn’t overly sweet and tasted fresh, not like the canned pie filling I often find. I don’t know if they make or purchase their pies, but it was the best part of this whole meal. Well, that and the pico beans.
Soulman’s certainly doesn’t skimp on the portion size of their meats, though they do seem to skimp on the amount of wood used to smoke them.

The food was not the issue here. Decent for a quick BBQ fix. Chopped beef was tender and tasty. Good bbq sauce, yummy hot links. Sides were not great and was not a fan of the self-​service where hundreds of people touch the same ladles all day long.
What brought the stars wayyyy down was that the workers were handling the buns without gloves, not just once but for every person. Food safety at it’s simplest. If that standard is not being followed, you can more than bet there are many more shortcuts, and therefore risks, being taken. Will not be back for this reason.

My family and I were in town for the Texas state fair and needed dinner. We were recommended soulmans from the hotel. Got the brisket, ribs and two sides. The ribs were mainly fat and the rest was not very tender. The brisket was dry, but otherwise ok. Avoid the Mac and cheese. very little flavor and not worth the side. This is an ok BBQ place, if u are in the area and need a quick bite, but nothing special and I won’t go out of the way to eat here again