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Please note, Soul Store West is now closed. Time Out Food & Drink editors, September 2017.
The first thing you notice on walking into Soul Store West, a large, high-ceilinged cocktail bar and restaurant on Kilburn High Road, is that they’ve turned the music up nice and loud. A smooth, summery mix of hip hop, funk and soul (obvs), the playlist feels even better when you’ve got your lips around one of their lovely salt-rimmed margaritas.
The food here is provided by the team behind American smokehouse-style restaurant Chicago Rib Shack, and it was mostly good stuff. Peppery fried chicken strips were a highlight. Also good was a really juicy pulled pork bun. Macaroni cheese was comforting, if a little bland – massively improved when paired with Soul Store West’s zingy, oniony, green side salad. The only real disappointment was a rather rubbery Cajun fried chicken sandwich.
One thing? Soul Store West is a very big space, and that tends to sap a place of atmosphere. That said, I visited early in the week; it’s fair to assume that the closer to the weekend, the better the vibe. And if you have enough of those killer margaritas you’ll doubtless create your own atmosphere.