Soul Fire BBQ

Not bad. No waiting, lots of tables and fast service. Decent beer selections. Friendly wait staff. The décor is cool and the place looked clean. The BBQ ribs and sauces hit the spot, chicken was excellent as was the side of slaw.

First time here food was excellent. Atmosphere top notch with great music. The chopped brisket cooked perfectly as was the collards and mac and cheese. Most definitely coming back.

Originally we went all the way to Blue Ribbon in Arlington after recommendations… but after taking almost 40 mins of bus ride they were closed. We were so hungry in the middle of nowhere we decided no matter what we will get ribs for the night. After a long night of failed über rides, mean drivers, we finally made it here.
Did not disappoint! Ribs here are so good. 1 set is good enough for two people. The corn bread side is delicious!
My best friend and I came two times in two days. First time we went it was at 9:40, and while they close at 11pm but they were done for the night and only allowed take outs.
Out of the three combo with pulled pork, baby back ribs and spare ribs, the best would be baby back ribs. Also combo for three is not enough because there aren’t that many ribs actually…
Don’t come on a date night, but come when you wanna eat vulgar and just let your self relax in a land of meat. After house of card, Freddie’s ribs in the show have stuck in my mind and now I can’t believe I am a huge fan of southern bbq ribs

I ordered delivery for the first time here yesterday!
I got the Combo Platter with Southern Fried Chicken, Fried Catfish, collard greens & potato salad. I also got a side of Mac & cheese, corn dogs and Kentucky Pie.
–The Southern Fried Chicken is SO GOOD– seasoned to perfection, crispy & nice thick juicy wing pieces.
–Fried catfish was okay. It was good, but I’d try other options next time.
–Collard greens were good. Bordering on too sweet, but I added some red pepper flakes & black pepper to offset the sweet.
–Potato salad was yummy. I’m used to sweet relish in my potato salad, so I actually just added the pickles they gave me into the potato salad and it was perfect.
–Mac & cheese is decent. I like that they use shells. Average.
–Corn Dogs were SO GOOD. The cornbread batter was average, but the hot dogs they use inside are SOOOOOOOO good. Didn’t taste like an ordinary Oscar Meyer hot dog. Also, the mustard that comes with it is REALLY good. I don’t even usually use mustard on my corn dogs, but I sure did use all of the mustard last night.
–Kentucky Pie was decent as well. I’d order it again, but for $ 6, I received a small slice.

Of course parking is a nightmare. Be prepared to drive around. However, it is well worth it. I was there today, Sunday afternoon to pick up take-​out.
Pork ribs were perfect. Very tender, pink ring, with a perfect pull from the bones. Many sauce choices. Baked beans were a dark rich sweet color with pork bits and onions. Outstanding.
Cole slaw hit the spot. Corn bread was tender and fresh. (Wish I had added to the order). Will be back.

I got delivery, so I can’t speak about the restaurant itself, so ill just review the individual food items that I got:
baby back ribs: excellent
spare ribs: not as good as the baby back, but still decent
cornbreak: fantastic, not too dry, comes with butter
collard greens: not my thing. i didn’t know they were sour
fried wings: best wings in boston!!!
spicy wings: not as good as the fried wings, but still okay
We got a fair amount of food and it was pretty expensive, so this place could set you back a bit. However, considering the lack of BBQ in Boston, this place is probably well worth the money. Definitely try it out!

The service was good but I ordered a two meat combo for $ 20. I liked the fried chicken. It was seasoned well. The cornbread is soft and sweet. The brisket was tender. I recommended pairing that and the spare ribs with the soulfire sauce.
That was all the pros. Here come the cons, the Mac and cheese taste like a box of velvetta. The collard greens seem to have been doused in sugar. The Cole slaw was a bitter and the potato salad was extremely bland. Ultimately, only the meats were good. Nothing to return for

I have lived all over the states, including the south, and in the south they don’t get down with BBQ like this places gets down. Ribs that melt in your mouth. Collards green that make your stomach And speaking of singing, the soul theme of the restaurant is the cherry on top. My favorite kind of music. All you can eat jumbo wing nights with usually one different unique flavor choice. When you’re thinking of a place to eat in that area just listen to Soul Fire cry out :
«I gotcha! Give it on here, I gotcha! You tried to sneak by me, now didn’t ya?»

Really likes this place!
The fries with cheese and beans was SO good! I ordered the sliced brisket which was very tasty!
Our waiter was kinda depressed though for some reason, not even a smile. But he checked up on us frequently and was helpful.
Would definitely come back!

More than the ribs or anything else, I really enjoyed the mac and cheese. The crumbled potato chips add a nice texture and flavor. The mashed potatoes were nothing special, but they were still decent. The ribs were good and cooked well! The cornbread was also tasty.
To be honest, Soulfire tasted better than other ribs I’ve eaten in Boston. Will probably return!

I have lived within 1 mile of Soul Fire for the past 4 years, and somehow I have never heard about it! The restaurant is very spacious, with a fun and casual atmosphere. It offers a great selection of craft beers and ciders that you can enjoy at your table or at the bar. Our server was very friendly, and when we arrived they explained that they were short-​staffed and apologized in advance if we had to wait longer than usual. However no apology was needed, because the service actually took less time than we expected! We got a cider and a root beer to start, then split the Pulled Pork Sandwich with coleslaw and the Sliced Brisket Platter with mac n’ cheese and baked beans. The brisket was my favourite; it was SO tender and wasn’t heavily sauced, allowing us to dip it in the different BBQ sauces at our table. Although we didn’t order it as a sandwich, it was resting on a thick slice of Texas toast. My favourite side was the extremely cheddary Mac N Cheese, which had BBQ chips crumbled on top of it. Unlike most BBQ places, the food was priced around $ 10-​$ 13 for a platter, which was much cheaper then I had expected! The portions weren’t massive (but still a reasonable size) which allowed me to enjoy my meal without suffering from the meat sweats. For dessert, our waitress recommended the Fried Dough. It was a good sharing size for 2 – 3 people and tasted absolutely fantastic!

Didn’t have my phone charged to take any pictures but I agree with the other Unilocalers. Soul fire is probably the better of the BBQ places in Boston. 100% would choose soul fire over sweet cheeks. You get more bang for your buck!
We got the:
+ 3 option plus 2 sides for ($ 17.99): totally worth tin you get so much food! We got the CHOPPED BRISKET, BBQ CHICKEN, and BBQ pulled pork. Everyone loved the brisket and pulled pork. The chicken was really moist and the side BBQ sauces made the chicken a lot more flavorful! The sauces are to die for!
In terms of the sides the:
+ COLLARD GREENS (⁵⁄₅): I say 100% get this. I felt a little sick seeing/​eating all of that meat and this side made me feel better and put my stomach to ease. It’s sweet and bitter at the same time and drenched in a vinegar sauce! It was so yummy and much needed.
+BAKED BEANS: (⁴⁄₅): yum! Can definitely taste the BBQ flavors and the beans are really filling! I felt like it paired really well with the chicken!
+ MAC and CHEESE (³⁄₅): don’t kill me but I’m not a die-​heart cheese fan so don’t take my review as the end all be all but I personally felt like it was dry. The macaroni felt too overcooked but the cheese felt like it was dry. Not my cup of tea that’s for sure. Wish we got the coleslaw!
+ CORNBREAD (¹⁄₅): not sure why everything tasted dry to me but the cornbread wasn’t what I expected. But I mean good size and smelled tasty, just didn’t meet my expectation.
I would come back for the baked beans, collard greens, and the meat options! Possibly try the catfish next time

Can’t say a word about the food cause I didn’t get to eat. Walked in around 830pm on a Saturday was told to sit anywhere. Asked if I could see menu first before I sat. This gentlemen I wouldn’t say threw the menu at me but lets say he pitched it in my direction. I took a minute looked it over and thought it looked be decent. Took the menu and sat at the bar, and sat, and sat.
Finally the two people I presumed were the bartenders stepped behind the bar, no hello, no hey, not even a head nod to acknowledge my existence. At this point I got up put my coat back on and walked out. If. you are going to serve southern inspired food maybe
a little of that southern hospitality if not whats the point.

We met a couple of friends for a casual dinner and the food was decent. I got the 3-​item combo platter and I picked baby back ribs, brisket, and pulled pork. Of the three meats, the pulled pork was the best. The brisket was dry and tough. I wasn’t that impressed with the ribs either…
The mac and cheese was decent. The best parts of the meal was the cole slaw and the corn bread. Oh, and the Fiery sauce!

I had an urge to try a corn dog so here I was, at Soulfire giving it a shot. Definitely not my cup of tea. Maybe I’ll try it at carnival before I will say that I don’t like corn dogs.
Aside from that, I ordered a combo plate, baby back and pulled pork. It’s cool that they don’t charge extra for baby back combos. The meat were tender and not dried out. That’s a win for me! On the table were 6 different sauces. I wish there was a description for each sauce. Each squeeze bottle was only labeled with name. Squeeze, lick and taste.
Sides. Baked beans were perfect. I love New England baked beans! Except for the gas part. Potato Salad was OK. It was too mustardy for my palette since I’m not a huge fan of yellow mustard.
The atmosphere is ultra casual and self seating. Perfect BBQ vibe with friendly service.
The meat was still good for lunch the following day after nuking it so…

I find their mandatory ordering food with a drink policy very very strange. I don’t understand what the reason is but I don’t care and I don’t like it. OK, whatever I’ll get something light.
So I order fried Mac and Cheese bites and a Gansett. I really wasn’t hungry but just needed a drink and maybe to use the bathroom. The atmosphere was okay. Service was decent, friendly enough and I didn’t sense any hostility but I have to say that policy about the food really burns my ass. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I’m an adult and I don’t like being told what to do or how to spend my money when I’m patronizing your establishment.
So my deep fried mac and cheese comes and guess what?
It sucks.
I wasn’t impressed. For $ 3 I didn’t expect (nor did I get) a big portion but the noodles to cheese ratio was way out of whack. «Deep fried noodles and butter» would have been a more accurate description.
Again, I wouldn’t care so much about the crappy $ 3 appetizer if I wasn’t forced to buy it in order to get a drink. It’s the principle. If you’re being forced to buy anything, chances are it sucks.
So in all fairness I’m rating this on my experience, where I didn’t get to really taste the barbecue, which is obviously what this place is known for. But I can say that as someone who was passing through and needed a quick drink and a rest that I didn’t like it.
I’m curious to try the barbecue as this place seems to be popular and I want to see what all the hubbub is about but I wouldn’t come back here to drink and I would avoid the appetizers menu and get the Q.

By far the best brisket I’ve had in Boston area. I’ve been trying different bbq for takeout for a while now and have tried from the likes of redbones, east coast grill, Tupelo etc and soul fires bbq have consistently lived up to the expectation! I’ve had some great bbq in other states/​countries and the food here comes pretty close! The meat is flavorful, has great texture, and makes me crave them every couple of weeks.
Their sauces are amazing and in my opinion make the difference. Try all of them! The spicy one is great if you can withstand the heat — otherwise the soul fire sauce is great for everything.
The collard greens are the best as well. I always get an extra side of those when I order from them. Cornbread is meh (Tupelo has the best, which is expected from the owners of petsi pies!), but what’s bbq without cornbread?
Their platter options are the best deal. Also the fish came out pretty good — wasn’t expecting so from a bbq place, but pleasantly surprised!

YES! Finally! Having experimented many different combinations off the menu, I now know what to get in order to have a superb meal.
This time I ordered the 3 meat combo of catfish, fried chicken wings, and the brisket with sides of cornbread, rice, chili, and mac & cheese. I’ve come to the realization that everything that’s fried here is amazing! The catfish and chicken wings had a delicious crisp batter and everything underneath it was so juicy and well spiced. I hear there chicken tenders are amazing too. The brisket, as I had suspected, was pretty dry… just like their ribs. The sides here are topnotch. I haven’t had a bad side yet. My favorites in order are the mac and cheese, chili, rice, and cornbread. Can’t wait to come back!

Monday nights they have all you can eat wings for ~$ 10.
Wings come in 4 flavors — buffalo, pitboss, honey mustard, and a special flavor. The problem I had with this is when they served the wings, the different flavors were all put in one tray and the waitress couldn’t tell us which ones were which so we couldn’t really tell her what we wanted for the second round. Eventually, all the «flavors» started blending and they all tasted the same. On top of that, I stopped eating at the second round because the chicken wasn’t cooked all the way… we even made a complaint to our waitress but the next round was also undercooked. I would’ve understood if the place was packed with people and they were in a rush, but at that point, it was only our group left for the remainder of the night.
I would not come back here for their all you can eat wings. However, I am tempted to return to try their BBQ items on the menu, especially since other Unilocal reviews are raving about it.

Ok came back because I bought a gilt city $ 15 for $ 30 worth of food. I’m still obsessed with the Mac and cheese because it has crunched up barbecue chips on top. And I still love the corn bread here. But… The chicken tenders are so amazing. Can’t believe I’ve never thought to get them here before. Perfectly juicy and FRIED.
Also, the fried mac and cheese is pretty good too! After we got our chicken tenders, the brisket couldn’t compare to how good the chicken was. YUM! Now I know where to go for good fried chicken tenders :)

This is one the better bbq places in Boston! If you like dry rub, then this is the place to come! I’ve had real BBQ from Texas and I can’t say that Soul Fire is better or even remotely close, but it’s definitely delicious. I couldn’t stop eating the ribs!
HIGHLIGHT: Baby back ribs and fried chicken! For the sides, nothing really stood out… the mac n’ cheese and the rice and beans was not bad.
I’m not a big fan of heavy dripping sauce so I didn’t like the pulled pork, but the ribs and the fried chicken was yummy. The fiery sauce paired really well with the meat, but beware! It’s definitely spicy…
For the sides, I was surprised that the collard greens and baked beans were sweet. I didn’t like it very much. The rice and beans is very dry, but it still has good flavor. I would go with the classics like mac n cheese, mashed potato or cole slaw. The cole slaw is heavy on the liquid mayo though… also, the corn bread comes out cold. Like what? CORN BREAD IS SUPPOSED TO BE WARM AND SOFT AND CRUMBLY.
I would come back for the ribs alone, but don’t expect fast service. When I went, it took forever to get our orders, get our food and clean up. There’s a weird wall in the middle that cuts your view of the waiters so maybe that’s why I couldn’t get the attention of the waiters.