Read mixed reviews so o didn't know what to expect. I qualify this with saying, I cook and eat a lot of BBQ. Got a 3 meat plate. Ribs: smaller cut ribs. Moist and well seasoned Chicken: dark meat. Seasoning is good. Not over cooked. Was not heat hot enough though. Leg was cold. Skin is a little tough (as a lot of smoked chicken will do) Pulled pork: just good pig! Not great but not bad. Spicy potatoes: GREAT. Not too hot. Ranch house beans: different...good...too much onion for my taste (I hate onions though ) Spicy bbq sauce: good flavor. It's about a 5-6 on the heat scale. Overall good experience. Greeted when I walked in. Process of ordering explained well. Recommend this place Plate below and drink $30 read more

I bought a 2 meat combo plate. The ribs were dry skin was very tough Brisket was dry Both ribs and brisket had no flavor. Mash potatoes and pinto beans were the only thing good This used to be a good place to eat I will not stop here again. Go elsewhere to eat. I will not recommend eating here. Keep driving read more

My wife and I came through here and saw the barbecue place. I had the half slab plate and my wife had the soul men's bowls. We both loved it definitely coming back if our travel take us through the area.. Thanks to the owner and staff for their great work!!! read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - I had the half slab plate. My wife had the Soul Man's Bowl's. Great stuff Definitely coming back!! Thanks to the owner and staff!! - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

Best bbq ever , I get a three meat plate Everytime, great sides, fast and good atmosphere like it. Good waitstaff.

I really wanted to like this place, but my visit was a letdown from start to finish. The food was overcooked, dry, and nowhere near the quality you'd expect at this price point. For what they charge, I expected something much better. What made it more frustrating is that I ordered online through their website, hoping for a quick pickup. Instead, I still had to wait over 30 minutes after arriving just to get my to-go order. Between the long wait, the overcooked food, and the high prices, this just wasn't worth it. read more

Great BBQ spot! The food was good, and the atmosphere felt very welcoming. I tried the double barrel loaded potato, and it was absolutely delicious. read more

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I was discussing this place with coworkers for a month. We finally had an opportunity to stop while passing through the area. You smell the place a block away, and it draws you in. Once in the door you get in line. They serve cafeteria style. First person takes your order and cuts the meats and then passes it on to the next person. You pay at the end. You seat yourself. Drinks and fixings are also self serve. Counter service was good. They only wait on one person at a time, so be prepared to wait if there is a line. Now for the food. I had the three meat platter. Brisket, Hot Links and Ham, Mac N Cheese, creamed corn and Banana pudding. There were four of us so we all chipped in and order a Full Rack of ribs for the table. Brisket: Dry! Once they start slicing it they leave it on the heat table until it's gone. Hot Links: Very Flavorful, IMO not very Hot (spice wise). Ham: it was good, but still bumming over the brisket. Ribs: Meat pulled from the bones for the most part. There was a large fat cap still on our rack; I'm not a fan of a lot of fat, but some people are. Mac N Cheese: tasted Homemade but nothing special. Creamed Corn: Very good, not much heat. Banana Pudding: Detected Something fake about it. Whether they used canned or powdered banana pudding. There was real banana in it, but it gets ruined by the fake flavor I detected! Overall, for my first time eating Texas BBQ, I was disappointed! I am sure there are other places in Texas that can do better. read more

Fantastic food and service. Highly recommend. Friendly staff. Great place to hang out.

Service is always great. Stop here every time I slide though. Brisket is top notch, sausage is on point, whipped potatoes are light and fluffy, Mac & cheese is creamy and the pecan pie helps push it all down. If you are driving through Van, you need to stop here. read more

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On the road again for a week before Thanksgiving and conveniently the Soulman's location is in the Loves truck stop parking lot. I had a lot of my truckers and co-workers from Dallas tell me to try this place because supposedly Jerry Jones eats barbecue here. So I bit the bullet and can give them a "YEEHAWW! The food is in a deli showcase so you can pick and choose what you want. I picked the 2 meat combo which included beef brisket, sausage link, mashed potatoes and mac & cheese. For being ready food at 8:50pm, it sure was good and once again I was grateful for a hot meal on the road. Highly recommended to look at the 18 locations to either eat or order catering for any dinner or party coming up. SOULMAN'S WINNING RECIPE Great Bar-B-Que Great Service Great GOD! (Romans 7:25) read more

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Spent a day and half in the hospital with food poisoning from this restaurant. would not recommend to anyone to eat here.

pulled pork is good and sandwich is good with the sauce................................................

Great food! We have driven by many times on our way to Gilmer. Decided to stop and glad we did. My husband and I shared the double spud with chopped beef, and a slice of pecan pie. Bought a rack of ribs to go! Really tasty and I love the sauce. The meat was full flavored and moist. The staff were very helpful and polite. We will return. read more

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BBQ Sausage Sandwich: 10/10 would devour again. BBQ Sauce: they must've made a deal with the sauce fairy. Green Beans: the ultimate sidekick. Verdict: this BBQ joint is the bomb.com! read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

The place is great! The brisket is so good, and the meat is perfect exactly how you want it to be. I would definitely recommend soul man's!!! read more

The Soulman's team and pit master delivered. I had the ribs and my wife got the smoked chicken & sausage. I've had ribs all over the south, smoke my own and Soulman's were great. Same for the smoked chicken and sausage. The guys working were welcoming and friendly. The restaurant was clean, lively and a great Texas pride vibe for convenient high quality BBQ. 10x upgrade from the previous BBQ restaurant. Clearly have a passion and take pride in their restaurants. read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

The BBQ is always great and so is the staff. Nevertheless, this is the second time in a row that no one had turned on the ice cream machine and so all that came out was runny milky water. And, the fries looked and tasted more like they were microwaved rather than fried. They were mushy, cold and light tan in color. I really like going to Soulman's but am started to get disappointed in the small details they are missing. read more

I was looking at buying a whole chicken the staff there was very helpful, they help me to find a package that was the most for my money. Thank you for that.. Food is always been good at Solman and I appreciate the staff and also the people who frequent this location . Thank you so much may God bless. read more

They have free ice cream in a cone with any purchase. That is pretty cool. All round good bbq spot. They have a nice sitting table area. Not a shack. The people are friendly. read more

You know it's great bbq when all the truck drivers are headed in! And they were right!

No need for bias on the people or anything they were great workers everyone was nice, but this place is utterly nasty. No flavor I was expecting fresh meat and everything it smelled so good from the Loves as I was pumping fuel I could smell bbq, now that was that day I didn't go but I was able to come back again cause I remembered that smell and I said I'll give it a try. I walk in it's a whole soup kitchen not saying premade over the burner places aren't good like you know Golden Corral or any other buffets, but this was dry give you a itty bitty bbq sauce cup, I mean yuck. Pecan pie also I don't know where theirs came from couldn't even beat Marie Callender's. Super stoked to get hot hot bbq, meat was cold btw. So yea overhyped food chain. Shane's Rib shack beat them in my opinion so you know like what I'm saying it's just a common food chain the Soulmans gave Wendy's of bbq. I thought it was going to be a hole in the wall juke joint cause you know they get down am I right? But nope just plain Jane utter, cold meat. Will not be back and glad in it read more

This is the best soul man's location by far. Great service and BBQ. Happy to have this location open up.

Excellent BBQ! Great atmosphere! Good service! Easy access from I20. We have eaten at several Soulmans & this is the best yet!

I was very disappointed with my rack of ribs... too dry at 12:30 pm. I asked if they had some less dry buy to my dismay even though they were fresh out of the oven instead of ones on display . ...mine were still were dry..... there must be a way to make them like they used to.. very unhappy read more

Good service. Clean dining area. It's "ok," decent bbq. I wouldn't go out of my way to eat here but it's a good meal with adequate portions. read more

Okay so there wasn't much expectation here. I was craving a potato w brisket and ended up with / meals worth!! I also tried the sausage, it was very good. They did not skimp on the toppings for the baked potato, I definitely was not expecting that! Food was hot and came fast. I'll be back! read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - ows a tray of food - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

Sausages were good and so was their sauce. Brisket was on the dry end not too much flavour and cuts were too thin for my liking. Pork was ok nothing special. They charge for bread and sauce. read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - Pork, Spicy Sausage, Brisket - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

Me and my student wanted some Texas bbq and we stopped here because we heard so much good stuff about to this place, and well the hot link sandwich was bomb and was very fresh, we loved it. But the potato salad wasn't good at all, it had no taste whatsoever and that's the sad part, and the puddle wasn't great at all. But maybe we went on a bad day, we will definitely try again soon. All the staff were very nice to us and very understanding and informative and they made our food quick and it taste so good. The inside was very clean and nice and other customers were very nice and talked with them and everything. I really enjoyed myself besides the two things i said above . Thanks guys. Will see you guys soon. read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

We went for lunch. Staff was friendly. Brisket had good flavor but was sliced super thin. Sausage was better. Good condiment station with pickles and peppers. Restrooms were clean. But, I saw several dead bugs- one next to the paper towels on the table and one on the table itself when we sat down. We changed tables at that point. They probably should step up the cleaning in the dining area. There are better BBQ places out there like Spring Creek BBQ. But if you are craving BBQ and it's the only place around, it's not bad. read more

Soulman's is the best BBQ. The portions are big and the taste is amazing!! We went 3 times in one week. Highly recommend

Delicious! Wasn't sure if it would be good due to location but it was spot on. Great food, large helpings, chicken falling off the bone, sides were good and they had great sauce. We got our order to go and everything we needed was packed in there. It's next to a truck stop but you know if the truckers eat there it's good. We both got the 1/2 chicken and it was more than enough. Stop here you won't be sorry. read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - 1/2 chicken plate - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

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Moved to Van TX in April 2022. Have visited Soulman's BBQ many times since! Service is pretty quick, even if there's a line! All the food we have tried has been tasty. They have many sides to choose from. My favorite is the cabbage. I normally get pork. Husband always gets beef and orders smoked sausages to go, which make breakfast the following morning better. Ambiance... typical BBQ joint. TVs with sports and country music. A "come as you are" place with good food. read more

Decent for a chain. The brisket was great..no fat, tender, and had great flavor....the beans were ok..and I was not a fan of the potato salad at all....while the restaurant itself was clean almost every table had food trays and cups from others on them..never seen so many dirty tables ever in a restaurant.. also was let down as they only have one choice for bbq sauce and it was quite average..I was hoping for a hot bbq sauce. read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - Beef brisket..tender and great flavor. - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

The day time manager is rude and just defends the rude staff he works with stay away. As a customer I feel they only care about your money not the service they provide. I've read more

just order a brisket plate and it was delicious, Ive tried famous Dave's and Rudy's , by far this restaurant is the best. I love it, def coming back! read more

Do our taste buds get weaker as we age? If u could file down that top layer of lil budz, do u think they'll come back better? Cuz hot dayum i wasted $32 duckets on this tasteless slop n now im mad asf! A whole 145.45454545 miles i had to drive, on my then team gig,i to pay for this n it sukked! . If u like ur bbq plain, unseasoned, tasteless and lukewarm, then come on down, but after drivin an honest daze drive, i want it hot, tasty & flavorful. Dissapointed in Van, Tx, but what else is new, its texazz n nuthins original! read more

#61-2021 Full five stars no doubt about it. This Soulmans is greatly improved over the last year. The 1974 Texas based chain around the Dallas area and expanded in East Texas this location in Van right next to Love's truck stop was beckoning me today cuz; I was rolling eastbound and down on interstate 20 out of Dallas for the New Orleans area thinking I want some q. Is it going to be in Tyler at the Texas Best? Bodacious BBQ by the pilot? or is it going to be soulman's out by loves in van? soulman's won! Pull in the parking lot saw was some truck parking available walkin in notice they got a fish fry now catfish on Friday night something that I don't remember having before but I walked in and looked at the cutting table decided you know what I haven't had q for a while I'm going to pig out!! And oink oink I sure did got me a two plate combo with the sliced brisket and the ribs. Spritzki was sliced very thin I should have requested a little thicker cut but it was all right two sides I chose were the mac and cheese and the pinto beans. There's something about soul man's pinto beans that is very unique because I've ate beans and cornbread before cowboy style and the pintos are kind of dry and plain these have a wonderful flavor to them. So while I had my oink on I decided to get some more the first cup wasn't enough and I asked the gal behind the counter what do they put in their pinto beans? She said they use a little bit of the the brisket kind of like some people use bacon and put a little tiny bit into it and then there's a seasoning that they use they're just fantastic. The mac and cheese was well mac and cheese. I didn't even care about the slice of Texas toast. Soulman's is one of those places where even though there's not a server that brings your food after you finish eating there are no garbage cans they will remove it clean it sanitize the tables one thing that changed here that they no longer have the free vanilla ice cream that used to have. It changed with covid and then the I guess distributor they just decided to eliminate it but that's okay. I've been to a few other locations over the last year rockwall across from the TA truck stop is still really good. Although royse City used to be really good it's not and honestly van used to not be the greatest but it really has improved. Just walking in it is very very noticeable very clean now. keep up the good work I'll definitely set the brakes here when I'm coming across 20 more often. read more

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I have been to a lot of bbq joints and its hard to find quality cooked food. Im impressed with everything I purchased at this location. Keep up the good work. read more

Soulman's Bar-B-Que - ows a plate of ribs and sides - Barbeque Near Me - Van, Texas

We were going to try a little bbq shack downtown but they were sold out. What a blessing in disguise! I had sausage and brisket. The brisket was so tender and juicy. The guy even asked me if I wanted the fat or if I wanted it trimmed. I have never had that offered. The sauce is sweet and tangy. My husband got hot links. He said they were HOT but he liked them. He also got ribs. I tasted a bite. Very good. They passed my rib test. Fall off the bone. Check. Tastes great without sauce. Check. They also serve the platters with two sides and Texas toast. My husband got potato salad and beans. He ordered baked beans and they heard wrong and gave him pintos. But he said they were good too. So he just kept them. My two sides were Mac and cheese and cream corn. This was the cheesiest best Mac and cheese I've ever had. And you might be wondering cream corn? But it's not like the can stuff. It's delicious buttery crispy corn in a spicy creamy sauce. The portions were fair. There are also free ice cream cones. If we had known we would not have bought pecan pie. But we took that home to eat later. It was ok. But the meat and sides were the stars. We will definitely go back even though it's a bit of a drive. There are a few more locations. But we know this place is delicious. There lots of interesting menu options. They have a dish that is like bbq Frito pie. They have bbq baked potatoes. They even had one I saw someone order called the Tyler bowl that was fries loaded with Mac and cheese and ham. Maybe next time. read more

I had always passed by Soulman's because I'm not usually big on chain BBQ places - I just prefer the mom and pop shacks. But I was pleasantly surprised by Soulman's. I love the way they cut and pull the meat when you order which keeps the meat moist. I was also impressed with the range of sides. One star off because the fried okra was way over cooked and even tasted burned. Someone should have thrown the batch out and started over but they chose to serve it. read more