MacArthur's Restaurant — Restaurant in West Chicago Township

"No Soul Food For You"

Ok so just a disclaimer this place isn't for the pretty little diners. Come to this place to get heavy, rich and savory helpings of everything mama used to make. 5 stars is deserved here because you come to expect a certain charismatic urban family flair. This flair aadds to the character of the place. You know as well as I do family tells it like it is and so will I. Instead of my usual review I'll give you the rundown in a few tips.

TIP #1 Get Here Early (Before 6) If you come near close they may be out of the delicious dang near 44 cheese baked macaroni. You can't be upset you showed up late and fam will tell you it just like that too. "None of mama's mac for you!" (Dead horse?)

TIP #2 Look At The Wall Staring at the wall and watching paint dry while you wait to be seated is no fun task. Thankfully, MacArthur's thought of everything. To encourage you to feel welcome and loved, a wall of political activist and civil rights leaders who have graced the down-home spot line the entrance walls. Take a look and understand you are about to partake of the same food, in the same kitchen, from the same chef who fueled the soul of equality warriors like Harold Washington and Jesse Jackson. Mmmmm the consciousness is almost as delicious as these collard greens.

TIP #3 Come Hungry for Brunch They have this crazy amazing Noah's ark breakfast deal where you get like two of everything and enough grits to drown in. Best part it's a soul food spot, so you know the breakfast is seasoned oh so well.

TIP #4 Get Enough To Share Not in the mood for breakfast? I come here for lunch a few times a month and every time I do I always buy an extra side of candied yams or baked mac to share. The scent is going to fill the office or, if you work in the sales industry, communal trough. I'm telling you people get curious about the miracle healing powers of soul food when they smell MacArthur's. Don't say I didn't warn you.

SWEET BONUS TIP

This place is known for their banana pudding and it runs out quickly, no matter how much they make; no really. That being said all that "sharing is caring" stuff goes out the window. If you get your hands on this delicious puddin' keep it for yourself and stash what you don't finish in the veggie bin.

Enjoy!

Thanks again Chef MacArthur Alexander, you and your kitchen know how...

I’ve known about MacArthur’s for years—it's a staple in the neighborhood. I’ve only eaten there maybe twice about 5–7 years ago, and unfortunately, I remember exactly why I stopped. Back then, the food was disappointing. Now, I decided to give it another shot, hoping the “under new management” sign meant something good. Spoiler alert: it didn’t. Let’s start with the food. Whoever’s in that kitchen might be physically present, but the soul of cooking didn’t show up. The mashed potatoes? I don’t know if they were fried, microwaved, or baptized in old grease, but they were offensive to the concept of comfort food. The beef short ribs were shockingly unseasoned—like they skipped the salt, pepper, and basic effort. The Salisbury steak? Tough enough to fix a tire with. The mac and cheese had all the charm of something made in a hurry—with a powder packet. No southern love, no richness, just box vibes. And dessert? I’m still emotionally recovering from the peach cobbler, which had the consistency of soup. I’m not saying I needed a spoon, but a ladle would've been helpful. The banana pudding was just as runny—if it had any more liquid, I could’ve poured it into a glass and called it a milkshake. Even the muffins didn’t make it out unscathed—dry, crumbly, and falling apart like my hope with every bite. I went there yesterday to grab a meal for my mom and, half-joking but mostly serious, told her, “I hope you don’t get sick from this.” That’s not something you should ever say after buying someone dinner, especially my Mother What’s sad is, I don’t think this is a lost cause. I truly believe MacArthur’s could turn things around if they got a cook who actually cares—about the taste, the presentation, and maybe, just maybe, about feeding people food that doesn’t taste like regret. It would also help if they invited some honest customer feedback instead of pretending everything is just fine. Until then… I guess I’ll keep my...

Visiting Chicago for the Taste of Chicago and of course a stop at the famous MacArthur’s was on the list. GPS got us there with ease and they have an adjacent parking lot as well.

Walking in we noticed they have out door and indoor seating. The place was clean and nicely decorated. The bathroom was stocked as well. We chose to eat our meal outside.

We order 2 dinners, 3 additional sides, and one piece of cake, total was less than $45 (very well priced). I had the white meat baked chicken, it was well seasoned and where the meat fell off the wing the breast was dry. I also had cabbage, macaroni and cheese, yams, and corn bread. I liked that the cabbage still had a crunch to it and was fully cooked. The yams is clearly made from a peeled potato and not from a can. Really appreciated how the additives of the recipe didn’t over power the potato itself. I felt I was eating quality sweet potatoes! The corn bread has the right amount of sweetness to it for me, it added a nice balance to the meal. The macaroni was a disappointment for me. It lacked the nice cooked browning on top (the food is served from a buffer were the customer can see it). It was not creamy and lacked cohesiveness of the cheese, and flavor. The noodles were well cooked but the milk was separating and pooling in the bottom of the container. It almost seemed as maybe it was not cooked fully. We shared one slice of German chocolate cake and the dessert was everything I need my cake to be!!!! Moist, fresh, appealing to the eyes, a perfect balance of appearance, texture, and flavor!! There’s no doubt that it’s made from scratch and that includes the icing. The icing was light and the coconut was crispy!!! I will definitely be back and will be ordering the macaroni and cheese again (everyone is allowed a bad day) and all the flavors of the cake. This is now one of my first stops when I visit Chicago...