Nestled in Addison, Texas, Soulful Street Bites has transitioned from a beloved food truck to a brick-and-mortar take-out restaurant, bringing the heart and flavors of New Orleans soul food to a wider audience. For a couple of years, this hidden gem operated primarily as a food truck, quietly building a loyal following. This September marked an exciting new chapter with the opening of their permanent location, a cozy storefront in a typical Addison strip mall. While the space is modest, designed mainly for order pickups with just a few chairs for waiting patrons, the food at Soulful Street Bites is anything but small. Each dish is prepared with evident care, bursting with the comforting, rich flavors reminiscent of home-cooked meals.
The charm of Soulful Street Bites extends to their ever-changing menu of daily specials. Diners can look forward to a different main course each day of the week. Tuesday features creamy chicken tetrazzini, Wednesday brings the classic red beans and rice with savory sausage, and Sunday is reserved for the highly anticipated oxtails with gravy and rice. Beyond the daily specials, the regular menu boasts comforting choices like chicken with dressing, tender pot roast, and flavorful crawfish etouffee, ensuring there’s something to satisfy every craving for soulful street bites.
Complementing the mains, the side dishes also offer delightful variety, changing daily and featuring options like crispy fried okra, collard greens, savory cabbage, creamy broccoli-rice and cheese casserole, sweet yams, and flavorful dirty rice. To complete the soulful street bites experience, sweet endings are available in the form of classic banana pudding and warm peach cobbler.
During a Tuesday visit, the friendly staff immediately made us feel welcome, patiently answering questions and efficiently preparing orders for waiting customers. Eager to sample the menu, we started with the brisket mac and cheese appetizer. This dish was a definite highlight – perfectly cooked shell pasta enveloped in a decadent, cheesy sauce and generously studded with tender brisket chunks, striking an ideal balance of rich flavor and satisfying texture. Despite the slightly higher price point of $10 for an appetizer, the generous portion and quality ingredients made it well worth the indulgence as one of the best soulful street bites on the menu.
Intrigued by the daily specials, we opted for the “three-vegetable plate” to try the Tuesday special, chicken tetrazzini, cleverly counting it as a vegetable for the sake of balanced eating. Alongside the generous serving of tetrazzini, the plate included broccoli rice casserole and cooked cabbage, accompanied by a moist cornbread muffin. Each component of the vegetable plate was delicious, with the staff generously providing an entrée-sized portion of the tetrazzini. The cabbage, listed as “cabbage (turkey)” on the menu, offered a savory depth of flavor, possibly from turkey stock, which is something to note for vegan diners. The broccoli rice casserole was also perfectly executed, a comforting and cheesy side dish.
For our second main course, we chose the pork chop sandwich, a fried, well-seasoned chop served simply on white bread with a side of hot sauce. While the bone-in pork chop was substantial, it didn’t quite reach the heights we’ve experienced elsewhere, perhaps setting a high bar after trying the renowned pork chop sandwich from Big Daddy’s. However, it still provided a satisfying savory bite.
To quench our thirst, Soulful Street Bites offers a selection of “Kool-aid” style drinks and lemonade. We sampled the classic lemonade and mango lemonade, both proving to be refreshing and satisfying accompaniments to the rich soul food.
Finally, no soulful street bites experience would be complete without dessert. The banana pudding was a delightful finale – creamy vanilla pudding layered with slices of fresh banana, topped with crunchy shortbread crumbles and a whole cookie for an elegant touch. It tasted every bit as good as it looked, a perfect sweet ending.
The beauty of Soulful Street Bites’ rotating daily specials menu is the constant invitation to return and explore new flavors. Oxtail Sunday is already marked on our calendar, promising another soulful culinary adventure in Addison. For anyone seeking authentic New Orleans soul food in a casual, take-out setting, Soulful Street Bites is a must-try destination.
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https://media2.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/blog/15443478/soulful_street_bites_-_hank_vaughn_-4.webp- Original Alt/Title: Pull up a seat and take in all the wonderful aromas as you wait. – Hank Vaughn / Pull up a seat and take in all the wonderful aromas as you wait. – Hank Vaughn
- New Alt Text: Cozy waiting area at Soulful Street Bites in Addison, Texas, a takeout restaurant specializing in New Orleans soul food.
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https://media2.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/blog/15443480/soulful_street_bites_-_hank_vaughn_-1.webp- Original Alt/Title: Soulful Street Bites in Addison offers comfort food to go served by friendly staff. – Hank Vaughn / Soulful Street Bites in Addison offers comfort food to go served by friendly staff. – Hank Vaughn
- New Alt Text: Friendly staff member at Soulful Street Bites handing out a takeout order of delicious New Orleans style comfort food.
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https://media2.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/original/15443468/veg_plate.webp- Original Alt/Title: Three “vegetable” plate: chicken tetrazzini, cabbage, broccoli casserole. – Hank Vaughn / Three “vegetable” plate: chicken tetrazzini, cabbage, broccoli casserole. – Hank Vaughn
- New Alt Text: Soulful Street Bites’ vegetable plate featuring chicken tetrazzini, cabbage, and broccoli casserole, a hearty and flavorful meal.
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https://media1.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/blog/15443464/soulful_street_bites_-_hank_vaughn_-10.webp- Original Alt/Title: A perfect cornbread portrait. – Hank Vaughn / A perfect cornbread portrait. – Hank Vaughn
- New Alt Text: Close-up of a golden brown cornbread muffin from Soulful Street Bites, showcasing its perfect texture.
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https://media2.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/blog/15443462/soulful_street_bites_-_hank_vaughn_-5.webp- Original Alt/Title: Pork chop sandwich. – Hank Vaughn / Pork chop sandwich. – Hank Vaughn
- New Alt Text: Soulful Street Bites’ simple yet satisfying pork chop sandwich on white bread, a classic street food bite.
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https://media1.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/blog/15443466/soulful_street_bites_-_hank_vaughn_-12.webp- Original Alt/Title: Lemonade and mango lemonade “kool-aid.” – Hank Vaughn / Lemonade and mango lemonade “kool-aid.” – Hank Vaughn
- New Alt Text: Refreshing homemade lemonade and mango lemonade drinks at Soulful Street Bites, perfect for pairing with soul food.
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https://media1.dallasobserver.com/dal/imager/u/blog/15443465/soulful_street_bites_-_hank_vaughn_-11.webp- Original Alt/Title: Banana pudding. – Hank Vaughn / Banana pudding. – Hank Vaughn
- New Alt Text: Delicious banana pudding dessert at Soulful Street Bites, topped with whipped cream, shortbread crumbles and a cookie.
