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CJ's Eatery
There's great soul food in West Humboldt Park but not enough customers to support it.
When Charles Armstead opened CJ’s Eatery in West Humboldt Park two years ago, he figured his neighborhood would be thrilled “to finally have a nice sit-down place, where you don’t just walk around eating your fries out of a bag.”
Instead, his customers have mostly been foodies who read about it in the press and online; neighborhood traffic has been slower to build. Too bad: They’re missing out on some of the best Southern comfort food in town.
Armstead isn’t from the South—he grew up in Fort Wayne, Indiana—but he visited New Orleans frequently growing up and takes influences wherever he finds them. “I called my place an ‘eatery’ because I’m open to everything,” he says. “It’s not just soul food. It’s whatever I like to eat.”
That includes approachable main courses like his jambalaya pasta (not exactly authentic, but a delectable mess of cheese and heat). Brunch dishes such as gooey shrimp and grits or waffles topped with fried-to-order chicken wings are tough to beat on a cold morning and make CJ’s a great alternative to standing in line at the usual hot spots.
The sagging economy killed his weekday business, and Armstead is now open only on weekends. He’s using the work week to build up a catering business out of the space, then wooing his neighbors with a soul-food dinner on Sundays and specials like a Friday-night seafood menu aimed at the neighborhood Latinos observing Lent. For now, he says, “I’m proud that I look around my place and I see such a diverse crowd.” Now if only that crowd can multiply.
3839 W Grand Ave at Avers Ave (773-292-0990). Bus: 53, 65, 70. Breakfast, brunch (Sat, Sun), lunch, dinner (closed Mon). BYOB.
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