Cleo’s Southern Cuisine

Hooray for a new Cleo's location! The Bronzeville location has been coating our bellies for years and now I can fall asleep midday at work with this location so close to the job LOLThe chicken thighs are amazing and I love a good waffle so the Southern Belle was exactly what I wanted and it did not disappoint!I ordered pickup right before noon on a Monday and it was ready when I arrived. There also were only a couple people sitting inside if you wanted to eat there. This food at this location held up to the flagship so I'll definitely be returning!

I ordered from Cleo's on a Monday a few minutes after opening. Order placed at 11:20 and estimated time given that food would be done was 12:20. I must say, I was skeptical about ordering from here on a Monday since they are closed during the weekend. I tend to wonder about the freshness of food from establishments the day after they open back up. Nonetheless, I took a leap, especially since I was leaving The Chi the next day. When I arrived to pick up my food. I arrived 10 minutes before 12:20 and my food was sitting on a counter with other orders. I already knew it probably had been sitting for some time, and it had. So it was lukewarm once I received it. I also had a slight problem with the fact that Cleo's had a full basket of wings already fried waiting to be boxed. I'd assume they pre-fry wings to keep up with the lunch rush and demand because who really has time to wait an hour for food during their lunch break, like really. I ordered the Float & Fly, Creole Crab Mac, and Mississippi Sunshine. I wanted to order the string beans , the only green item they have on the menu BUT it was unavailable. HOW?! Y'all were closed for two days and y'all had just opened on a Monday. So I was baffled by that but I digress. Now, I like my food seasoned, but whew chile, Cleo's over does it with the seasoning honey! I knew as I was eating, the food was going to be headache inducing due to the amount of seasoning and before I could finish my food, boom a headache. The Float & Fly came with two and a half chicken wings. Please reference my pictures as to why I said half. So Cleo's owes me a wing for that one. Lol. It also came with two pieces of catfish and a stale cornbread muffin. Please note, I have pics for reference to all my drawbacks of the food. I had one bite of my catfish and was done due to the lingering taste of ammonia after biting into the fish. I assumed it wasn't fresh given the taste, and was not trying to chance missing my plane back home the next day if I became sick due to bad fish. The cornbread was dry, burnt, and crumbly. Also, didn't seem fresh. I didn't have nearly as much of their 24K Gold Butter on my cornbread as they advertise. On to the Crab Mac. Now, I'm from Baltimore so lump and jumbo lump crabmeat to us, is not the same as lump/jumbo lump in all other parts of the country-IYKYK. Lol. To my surprise, the mac was topped with tasty lump pieces of crab meat seasoned perfectly. The Mac was okay but nothing to brag about. The best bite of all items purchased was the crab meat atop the mac. The Mississippi Sunshine I was really looking forward to because I am a sweet tea loving gal. To my surprise, the drink was not overly sweet. It claims to be "brewed daily in the Windy City," but it was definitely giving powdered (lemon) Liptons. So that was a disappointment, I still drank it though. It's big, so it lasted me two days; which I appreciated. All in all, I'm not sure if I would visit them again on any next visits to The Chi. That's only because Chicago is like a top foodie city, so I have options. There's nothing here, I had that I crave and absolutely need to have again. Cheers to a great time!

Keith Lee is a troll LOL!Cleos is located in the hustle and bustle of downtown Chi Town. Parking is limited on the street and managed by meters. Cleos is quite cozy, with very few tables and chairs. A few feet from the entrance door there is a high top counter with an older lady and two guys behind it. The guys are managing land, sea and hot grease and the lady is managing orders. There is a portable warmer where pre-made side dishes are stored and a portable cooler where pre-made drinks are stored.Food Reviews:Mississippi Sunshine Sweet Tea Lemonade - is super sweet and delicious. It is served in a container large enough to share. It is soooooo good!Mac & Cheese - very curdy cheese, mushy noodles, unique garlic flavor, just taste ok.Fried Chicken Wings - good seasoning but a little too dry. Fried Catfish - fried with a hot sauce batter (I think), very salty and fried dark (I prefer golden fried fish), kinda taste like old grease. Cornbread - salty, sweet, glazed top muffin, is goodI would return if someone else want to try it, but it's a been there tried that for me.

I ordered to go. So so good! The flavors are amazing and cooked to perfection. I got the catfish fillets, Mac & cheese, green beans, cornbread and yams.

I'm a more recent lover of southern/soul food and while in Chicago, I knew it was a must to visit Cleo's, especially after reading the reviews and hearing it was one if the restaurants to try for southern food due to the Keith Lee review. Upon walking in we were greeted and asked to place our order. They let you know up front, it will take TIME to prepare and cook. I reviewed the menu and reviews prior so I knew what I wanted and so did my friends. I ordered the catfish with lump crab meat, pineapple yams, fried chicken wings and 2 golden muffins. I know why the yams, muffin and catfish are so popular, they were all worth the wait of 30ish minutes. My friends ordered the Mac and cheese, sauced wings, hot honey chicken sandwich and green beans. They said their food was good too but the catfish was top tier. The sweet potatoes although great tasting were slightly too sweet for me but they compliment the catfish really well. There aren't many drink options, the seating is limited but the food makes up for it and the hospitality. The cook was kind and working hard as it was a very humid day and was there was only a fan to keep the restaurant cool. If you're in a rush, call ahead for your order! Will def return when I'm back in Chicago at this location or their other location.

Ordered Cleo's through Uber eats and it was still sooo bomb. I'm a huge fan of catfish and it was so good. So much flavor and the more I ate it the better it got. The candied sweet potatoes were also yummy!! Honestly everything was so good I was pretty surprised. Would def come back again!!

Meh, I've had previous experience with their food at the south side location but it was a po boy versus the catfish & chicken which is what I indulged in this visit. Fish was flavorless as most fish is to their defense. The wings had a slight glaze/flavor to them but the fish should come with sauces & a side. It's $16 albeit a lot of food but it needs something else. Highlight of the meal was the biscuit but again without sauces nor a drink you'll damn near choke. For $10 more you get sauce & crab atop the dish though

I thought this place was takeout only but they actually had a few tables inside, so we got to enjoy our food hot! We ordered online beforehand and waited a bit at the place before receiving our order. The interior is clean and small. Between the two of us we split "the Ten" (based on Keith Lee's review), the crab fries, and the mac and cheese. This was plenty of food for two hungry people, but we went a little overboard because we wanted to try a lot of different items. The catfish was thin and crispy, well-seasoned, and nice and tender. The sweet potatoes were very sweet, a good contrast to the saltiness of the catfish, but maybe a little too sweet for our tastes. The liquid of the sweet potatoes also ended up filling the tray a bit and mixed in with the catfish flavor, which can be a good or bad thing depending on your preference. Lastly for the Ten, the cornbread muffin was great! No notes. The crab fries were probably the favorite for both of us. My only wish is that the sauce was a little more evenly distributed rather than drizzled over the top. But the crab was really good, the sauce complemented it nicely, and the waffle fries were a good crispy texture. Finally, the mac and cheese fell a little bit short for us. I liked the flavor but it unfortunately wasn't super hot when we got it so texture wasn't super ideal. I am not that picky about my mac and cheese but it wasn't the best part of the meal. This place is overall really tasty but it was quite pricey. This whole spread was about $60, which is probably a one-time spend for us at this restaurant. Still, if you like southern food, it's worth the try!

Tuesday, August 27, 2024 - Sitting here, the air conditioning is weak and they only have water to drink. It's 89 degrees outside at noon and it's extremely hot inside. So, I am actually sweating. We had to wait over 15 minutes for a plastic cup to get room temperature water. As a result, I ended up grabbing a to-go container (bowl) off the counter to drink water. Apparently they ran out of drinks AND cups. We were told that there was a 7-11 across the street. wth? However........ there was a 12 pack of Canada Dry just sitting on the counter. ‍‍ One of the employees did finally go and get some cups, but we had finished eating by the time he came back. Personally, I prefer to have something to drink while I'm eating and that should not be too much to ask for. I was hoping that the food would make up for it, but we were disappointed. The catfish was overcooked (not flakey like Keith Lee's review showed). The muffin was so-so, the chicken wings needed more seasoning, the fries were okay and the yams were too sweet. The green beans were the best item we had.

Ordered through Uber Eats for a second time. I wasn't too keen on the chicken and fish the first time. So I thought I would try it again. This time around I ordered chicken fish mac and sweet potatoes. The chicken was partially breaded and was very salty and garlicky. The fish was very salty as well. The mac and cheese was overcooked and tasted like eggs and cheese. The sweet potatoes were too sweet for my liking. and the corn muffins had to be day's old. They were cols and dry, thank gawd they did not have that buttery mess atop. I will never revisit this place again. I don't care who rates it a 10.