Popular Restaurant Relocating To Aurora's Fox Valley Mall

AURORA, IL — A popular Bolingbrook restaurant said goodbye to its hometown to make the move to Aurora's Fox Valley Mall.

The popular Mandy's Soul Food Kitchen, which served Southern comfort food for almost a decade at 151 E. Boughton Road, will reopen early next month as The Soul Spot.

Patricia Ryan, senior director of local leasing and business development at Fox Valley Mall, joined Aurora officials to announce the new restaurant during Tuesday's Committee of the Whole meeting.

"For the last nearly a decade, the most popular soul food restaurant in the western suburbs ... was located in Bolingbrook. They've closed down in Bolingbrook, and Mandy's Soul Food Kitchen will now open in the city of Aurora as The Soul Spot at Fox Valley Mall," Clayton Muhammad, the chief communications and equity officer, said Tuesday night to a room full of rounds of applause.

Aurora Mayor Richard Irvin presented owner Delicia Bowling with a "Signed Contract" award at the meeting. He said the new restaurant is "a testament to our city's growing and diverse business community" and called the move a "major win for commerce, our community and the culture."

"I've never felt this much welcoming and love from everybody in Aurora," Bowling said. "It's been great. I can't wait to open."

Besides the rebranding, "everything that made the restaurant special remains the same — the same owner, same talented cooks, and the same unforgettable menu," Aurora officials said. The menu features homemade favorites including fried chicken, collard greens, banana pudding and sweet potato pie.

The news has already reached Aurora residents.

"Just a few days ago I wanted a bowl of shrimp and grits and the only spot I know with authentic shrimp and grist is Mandy's Soul Food Kitchen," Aurora minister Sheila Nunnes said, per the news release. "So I drove from Aurora to Bolingbrook and, to my surprise, I was devastated when I saw the white piece of paper 'permanently closed' on the door. I am so happy it is reopening in Aurora. I'll be there with my fork, spoon and knife ready."